• What is a urinalysis?
• What can a urinalysis show?
• What does urinalysis involve?
• What is macroscopic urinalysis?
• What is urine dipstick chemical analysis?
• What are the pros and cons of dip sticks?
• What is microscopic urinalysis?
• How is microscopic urinalysis done?
• What kind of cells can be detected?
• What can the presence of red blood cells in the urine mean?
• What can the presence of white blood cells in the urine mean?

What is a urinalysis?

A urinalysis is simply an analysis of the urine.

What can a urinalysis show?

Urinalysis can disclose evidence of diseases, even some that have not caused significant signs or symptoms. Therefore, a urinalysis is commonly a part of routine health screening.

Examples of diseases that can be detected by urinalysis include diabetes mellitus, kidney diseases such as glomerulonephritis, and chronic infections of the urinary tract.

What does urinalysis involve?

Urinalysis consists of macroscopic urinalysis, urine dipstick chemical analysis, and microscopic urinalysis.

What is macroscopic urinalysis?

Macroscopic urinalysis is the direct visual observation of the urine, noting its quantity, color, clarity or cloudiness, etc.

What is urine dipstick chemical analysis?

This microchemistry system permits qualitative (yes/no) and semi-quantitative analysis within a minute by simple observation. The color change occurring on each segment of a dipstick is read by being compared to a color chart.

Dipsticks can, for example, be used to determine the urine's pH (acidity), specific gravity (density), protein content, glucose, ketones, nitrite content, and to determine an estimate of the number of white blood cells in the urine. The dipstick is a screening test. For example, a more accurate measurement of the urine protein is then determined with a 24 hour urine collection.

What are the pros and cons of dip sticks?

Dipsticks, whether they be paper or plastic, have many advantages. They are simple, fast, convenient, easy to use, and they are the most cost-effective way to screen urine.

However, what can be learned from a dipstick is limited by the design of the dipstick.

What is microscopic urinalysis?

The microscopic urinalysis is the study of the urine under the microscope. It requires only a relatively inexpensive light microscope.

How is microscopic urinalysis done?

The sample of urine is prepared in the laboratory and a drop of the urine sediment is put onto a glass slide.

First, the sediment is examined through the microscope under low-power to identify what are called casts, crystals, squamous (flat) cells, and other large objects.

Examination is then performed through the microscope at high power to further identify any cells, bacteria and clumps of cells or debris called casts.

What kind of cells can be detected?

Epithelial (flat cells) and red and white blood cells may be seen in the urine.

What can the presence of red blood cells in the urine mean?

Red blood cells can enter the urine from the vagina in menstruation or from the trauma of bladder catherization.

Red blood cells in the urine otherwise may be due to many causes including kidney damage, tumors eroding the urinary tract, stones, and urinary tract infections.

What can the presence of white blood cells in the urine mean?

White cells from the vagina or the opening of the urethra (in males, too) can contaminate a urine sample. Such contamination aside, the presence of abnormal numbers of white blood cells in the urine is important.

It can mean there is kidney disease or an infection of the kidney, bladder, or urinary tubes (upper or lower urinary tract). The presence of abnormal numbers of white cells in the urine is referred to as pyuria (pus in the urine).

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