What does uACR mean?
uACR measures albumin leaking into urine while correcting for urine concentration. It can reveal kidney damage that blood creatinine and eGFR do not show.
What it shows and why it matters
uACR, or Urine Albumin:Creatinine Ratio, measures how much Albumin is leaking into urine while correcting for urine concentration. A raised result can be an early sign of kidney damage and adds information that blood Creatinine and eGFR can miss. Exercise, infection and menstruation can raise it temporarily, so a result at or above 3 mg/mmol is usually repeated to confirm persistence.
How uACR appears on your report
Look for Urine Albumin:Creatinine Ratio (uACR). The result is normally shown in mg/mmol, next to the reference interval used by the laboratory that ran the test.
Note the collection date before you compare it with anything, along with the context that matters for this marker: strenuous exercise, fever, urinary infection, menstruation, blood pressure, glucose control and urine concentration can affect it. A raised result is usually repeated to confirm persistence.
uACR range in Australia
Vector tracks uACR against an optimal range of 0.0–3.0 mg/mmol. Australia has no nationally harmonised reference interval for this marker, so the interval printed on your report varies with the laboratory and the assay it used.
Vector’s optimal range is the band the app tracks against and the one printed in the Vector Profile. Why the two differ.
Interpretation limits
One raised uACR can be transient. Chronic kidney-disease assessment depends on persistence, companion kidney results and the person's clinical risk.
The interval printed beside your result remains the authority for that specimen. Reference intervals, diagnostic thresholds, treatment targets and Vector's tracking bands answer different questions and should not be substituted for one another.
What to read alongside uACR
A single marker rarely explains itself. These results are commonly interpreted together with uACR, and Vector keeps them within reach of each other as your record grows.
When to discuss uACR with a clinician
Discuss a result at or above 3 mg/mmol, particularly with diabetes, high blood pressure or reduced eGFR. The clinician will decide how to confirm persistence and manage kidney risk.
Tracking uACR over time
One uACR result is a single point. Import the report into Vector, check the extracted value, unit and collection date, and it becomes the start of a series instead — with each later report adding a dated point you can actually compare against.
Further reading
uACR is read the same way every other result on the report is. These two guides cover that method rather than this marker:
- How to read an Australian pathology report — A practical guide to dates, units, reference intervals and the context that belongs beside an Australian pathology result.
- Pathology report reference ranges: what they mean — Understand the laboratory interval, Australian guidance and the product context Vector adds to a result over time.
Common questions
What is a normal uACR range in Australia?
Australia has no nationally harmonised reference interval for uACR, so the range printed on your report varies with the laboratory and the assay it used — always read your result against the interval beside it. Vector tracks uACR against an optimal range of 0.0–3.0 mg/mmol; that target is separate from the laboratory interval, and no tighter-or-wider comparison is claimed where a national interval does not exist.
What is the optimal uACR level?
Vector treats 0.0–3.0 mg/mmol as the optimal range for uACR. An optimal range is a target the app tracks against, not a clinical threshold, and it can differ from the interval your laboratory prints.
What unit is uACR reported in on Australian pathology reports?
uACR is usually reported in mg/mmol on Australian pathology reports. The performing laboratory prints a reference interval in the same unit beside the result, and that interval is the one that governs your individual result.
What can change your uACR result?
Strenuous exercise, fever, urinary infection, menstruation, blood pressure, glucose control and urine concentration can affect it. A raised result is usually repeated to confirm persistence.
Sources
- Kidney Health Australia: CKD Management in Primary CareAustralian guidance on urine Albumin:Creatinine Ratio testing, repetition and persistent albuminuria.
- Kidney Health Australia: eGFRAustralian consumer context for kidney filtration and follow-up.
Published 29 August 2026 · Updated 29 August 2026 · Author Vector