All Topics  
Urinalysis

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Urinalysis
 
 
  Topics Urinalysis Topic Home

s seen under a microscope from a urine sample.]]

A urinalysis (or "UA") is an array of tests performed on urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
 and one of the most common methods of medical diagnosis
Diagnosis

Diagnosis is the identification of the nature of anything, either by process of elimination or other analytical methods. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with slightly different implementations on the application of logic and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships....
. A part of a urinalysis can be performed by using urine dipsticks, in which the test results can be read as color changes.








Discussion
Ask a question about 'Urinalysis'
Start a new discussion about 'Urinalysis'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


s seen under a microscope from a urine sample.]]

A urinalysis (or "UA") is an array of tests performed on urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
 and one of the most common methods of medical diagnosis
Diagnosis

Diagnosis is the identification of the nature of anything, either by process of elimination or other analytical methods. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with slightly different implementations on the application of logic and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships....
. A part of a urinalysis can be performed by using urine dipsticks, in which the test results can be read as color changes.

Medical urinalysis


A typical medical urinalysis usually includes:

  • a description of color and appearance.
  • specific gravity
    Specific gravity (kidney)

    File:Urine specific gravity.JPGSpecific gravity, in the context of clinical_pathology, is a urinalysis parameter commonly used in the evaluation of kidney function and can aid in the diagnosis of various Renal_anomalies#Diseases_and_disorders....
     - normally 1.010 to 1.030. This test detects ion concentration of the urine. Small amounts of protein or ketoacidosis tend to elevate results of the specific gravity
    Specific gravity

    Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of a given solid or liquid substance to the density of water at a specific temperature and pressure, typically at 4?C and , making it a dimensionless quantity ....
    .
  • pH
    PH

    pH is a measure of the Acid or Base of a solution. It is defined as the cologarithm of the Activity of dissolved hydrogen ions . Hydrogen ion activity coefficients cannot be measured experimentally, so they are based on theoretical calculations....
     - normally 4.8 to 7.5.
  • ketone bodies
    Ketone bodies

    Ketone bodies are three water-soluble compounds that are produced as by-products when fatty acids are broken down for Energy in the liver and kidney....
     - normally negative (absent)
  • protein
    Protein

    Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
     - normally negative (absent)
  • nitrites
  • urobilinogen
    Urobilinogen

    Urobilinogen is a colourless product of bilirubin reduction. It is formed in the intestines by bacterial action. Some urobilinogen is reabsorbed, taken up into the circulation and excreted by the kidney....
  • bilirubin
    Bilirubin

    Bilirubin is the yellow breakdown product of normal heme catabolism. Heme is formed from hemoglobin, a principal component of red blood cells. Bilirubin is excreted in bile, and its levels are elevated in certain diseases....
  • glucose
    Glucose

    Glucose , a monosaccharide also known as grape sugar, blood sugar, or corn sugar, is a very important carbohydrate in biology....
     - normally negative (absent)
  • RBC number
  • WBC number
  • hCG
    Human chorionic gonadotropin

    Human chorionic gonadotropin is a glycoprotein hormone produced in pregnancy that is made by the the developing embryo soon after Conception and later by the syncytiotrophoblast ....
     - normally absent, this hormone appears in the urine of pregnant
    Pregnancy

    Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the uterus of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or Multiple birth....
     women
    Woman

    File:Duval La Naissance de Venus.jpgA woman is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent....
    . Home pregnancy test
    Pregnancy test

    A pregnancy test attempts to determine whether or not a woman is pregnancy. Records of attempts at pregnancy testing have been found as far back as the Ancient Greece and ancient Egyptian cultures....
    s commonly detect this substance.


Microscopic examination

The numbers and types of cell
Cell (biology)

The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life....
s and/or material such as urinary casts
Urinary casts

Urinary casts are cylindrical aggregations of particles that form in the distal nephron, dislodge, and pass into the urine. In urinalysis they indicate kidney disease....
 can yield a great detail of information and may suggest a specific diagnosis.
  • Hematuria
    Hematuria

    In medicine, hematuria, or haematuria, is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It can be a sign that there is a kidney stone or a tumor in the ureter, urinary bladder, prostate, or urethra....
     - associated with kidney stone
    Kidney stone

    Kidney stones, also called renal Calculus , are solid concretions of dissolved dietary mineral in urine; calculi typically form inside the kidneys or bladder....
    s, infection
    Infection

    An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
    s, tumor
    Tumor

    A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells . Tumor is not synonymous with cancer. A tumor can be Benign neoplasm, Carcinoma in situ or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant....
    s and other conditions
  • Pyuria
    Pyuria

    In medicine, Pyuria refers to urine which contains pus. Defined as the presence of 4 or more neutrophils per high power field of unspun, voided mid-stream urine....
     - associated with urinary infections
    Urinary tract infection

    A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Although urine contains a variety of fluids, salts, and waste products, it usually does not have bacteria in it....
  • eosinophiluria
    Eosinophiluria

    Eosinophiluria is the abnormal presence of eosinophils in the urine.It can be measured by detecting levels of eosinophil cationic protein....
     - associated with allergic interstitial nephritis, atheroembolic disease
    Cholesterol embolism

    Cholesterol embolism occurs when cholesterol is released, usually from an atheroma, and travels along with the bloodsteam to other places in the body, where it obstructs blood vessels....
  • Red blood cell casts
    Urinary casts

    Urinary casts are cylindrical aggregations of particles that form in the distal nephron, dislodge, and pass into the urine. In urinalysis they indicate kidney disease....
     - associated with glomerulonephritis
    Glomerulonephritis

    Glomerulonephritis, also known as glomerular nephritis, abbreviated GN, is a kidney disease characterized by inflammation of the glomerulus, or small blood vessels in the kidneys....
    , vasculitis
    Vasculitis

    Vasculitis refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders that are characterized by inflammatory destruction of blood vessels.Both arteries and veins are affected....
    , malignant hypertension
    Malignant hypertension

    Malignant hypertension is a complication of hypertension characterized by very elevated blood pressure, and organ damage in the eyes, brain, lung and/or kidneys....
  • White blood cell casts
    Urinary casts

    Urinary casts are cylindrical aggregations of particles that form in the distal nephron, dislodge, and pass into the urine. In urinalysis they indicate kidney disease....
     - associated with acute interstitial nephritis, exudative glomerulonephritis
    Glomerulonephritis

    Glomerulonephritis, also known as glomerular nephritis, abbreviated GN, is a kidney disease characterized by inflammation of the glomerulus, or small blood vessels in the kidneys....
    , severe pyelonephritis
    Pyelonephritis

    Pyelonephritis is an ascending urinary tract infection that has reached the pyelum of the kidney . If the infection is severe, the term "urosepsis" is used interchangeably ....
  • (heme) granular casts - associated with acute tubular necrosis
    Acute tubular necrosis

    Acute tubular necrosis or is a medical condition involving the death of tubular cells that form the tubule that transports urine to the ureters while reabsorbing 99% of the water ....
  • crystalluria
    Crystalluria

    Crystalluria refers to crystals found in the urine when performing a urine test.They can be an indication of urolithiasis....
     -- associated with acute urate nephropathy (or "Acute uric acid nephropathy", AUAN)
  • calcium oxalate
    Calcium oxalate

    Calcium oxalate is a chemical compound that forms needle-shaped crystals. Its chemical formula is CaC2O4 or Ca2....
     - associated with ethylene glycol
    Ethylene glycol

    Ethylene glycol is an alcohol with two -OH groups , a chemical compound widely used as an automobile antifreeze. In its pure form, it is an odorless, colorless, syrupy, sweet tasting, toxic liquid....
     toxicity


See also

  • Uroscopy
    Uroscopy

    Uroscopy is the historic medical practice of visually examining a patient's urine for pus, blood, or other symptoms of disease. It dates back to ancient Egypt, Babylon, and India....
    , the ancient form of this analysis
  • Medical technologist
    Medical technologist

    File:Lab tech.JPGA medical technologist is a healthcare professional who performs diagnostic analytic tests on body fluids such as blood, urine, sputum, feces, cerebrospinal fluid , peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, and synovial fluid, as well as other specimens....
  • Urinary casts
    Urinary casts

    Urinary casts are cylindrical aggregations of particles that form in the distal nephron, dislodge, and pass into the urine. In urinalysis they indicate kidney disease....
  • Proteinuria
    Proteinuria

    Proteinuria means the presence of anexcess of Blood plasma proteins in the urine. The protein in the urine often causes the urine to become foamy, although foamy urine may also be caused by bilirubin in the urine , retrograde ejaculation, pneumaturia due to a fistula, or drugs such as pyridium....
  • Urine test strip
    Urine test strip

    A urine test strip is a basic medical diagnosis instrument used to determine pathology changes in the urine in standard urinalysis. A standard urine test strip may comprise of up to 10 different chemical pads or reagents which Chemical reaction when immersed in, and then removed from, a urine sample....


External links