Urine Analysis
What is it used for?
Detects urine abnormalities; helping to diagnose and treat kidney diseases, urinary tract infections, urinary tract neoplasia, systemic diseases, and inflammatory or neoplastic diseases adjacent to the urinary tract.
Urinalysis assesses color, appearance, specific gravity, pH, protein, glucose, ketones, occult blood, leukocyte esterase, nitrites, bilirubin, and urobilinogen. These tests are performed in all routine urinalysis procedures. If protein, leukocytes, occult blood, and nitrites are negative, a microscopic examination is not performed; only the above parameters are reported. Results are available after 24 hours if a microscopic examination is not required.
What does this analysis include:
Nitrites
Nitrites are derived from nitrogenous waste products; when they appear in urine, they can indicate the presence of bacteria at different levels of the urinary tract. These, when accompanied by other symptoms, can help diagnose urinary tract infections.
Occult blood:
The presence of hemoglobin in the urine is a sign of damage to the urinary tract, whether due to infection, lithiasis, or other causes.
Ketones:
It measures the level of ketones, compounds produced by the liver in response to your body burning fat for energy instead of glucose.
Protein in urine:
Measures the level of a protein called albumin in the urine.
pH:
Measures the acidity or alkalinity of urine.
Specific gravity:
A measure of urine concentration, determined by comparing the specific gravity of urine to the specific gravity of water, and used to help assess hydration status and other urinalysis results.
Urobilinogen:
It measures the level of urobilinogen, a byproduct of bilirubin that is eventually eliminated through feces and urine.
Appearance of urine:
A visual examination of the physical appearance of urine, including assessing color, clarity, or turbidity.
Urine color:
Visual examination and color classification of urine.
White blood cell count:
If indicated, it detects the number of white blood cells (leukocytes) in the body, cells that fight infections and foreign agents that can infect the body.
Red blood count:
If indicated, measure the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes). Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen throughout the body.
Epithelial cells (non-renal):
A measure of the number of epithelial cells in urine; a type of cell found in the skin, urinary tract, and organs.
Epithelial cells (renal):
A measure of the number of epithelial cells in urine; a type of cell found in the skin, urinary tract, and organs.
Leukocyte (white blood cell) esterase:
It measures the levels of leukocyte esterase, an enzyme found in most white blood cells, which indicates the presence of white blood cells in the urine.
