Urinalysis
Medical Author: Siamak Nabili, MD, MPH
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
What Can a 24-Hour Urine Test Reveal?
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: Dennis Lee, MD
A single sample of urine is normally used to determine whether there are increased amounts of specific substances in your urine, such as glucose, red blood cells, white blood cells, or protein. The urinalysis is a
"snapshot" assessment of your urine at one point in time. The urinalysis is a valuable screening tool for
urinary tract infections, kidneys diseases, and other conditions.
However, sometimes doctors need to know how much urine your body is producing in a day or how much of a particular substance (for example, protein, aldosterone, sodium, potassium, or urea nitrogen) is eliminated in a day. A single-specimen urinalysis cannot provide this information, so patients are instructed to collect all their urine produced in a 24-hour period.
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What is a urinalysis?
A urinalysis is simply an analysis of the urine. It is a very common test that can be performed in many healthcare settings including doctors' offices, urgent care facilities, laboratories, and hospitals.
It is performed by collecting a urine sample from the patient in a specimen cup. Usually only small amounts (10-15 ml's) may be required for urinalysis testing.
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.
Urinalysis is also a very useful test that may be ordered by your physician for particular reasons. Urinalysis is commonly used to diagnose a urinary tract or
kidney infection, to evaluate causes of kidney failure, to screen for progression of some chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure
(hypertension).
It also may be used in combination with other tests to diagnose some diseases. Examples of this include kidney stones,
inflammation of the kidneys (glomerulonephritis), or muscle break breakdown (rhabdomyolysis).
Interpretation of urinalysis is generally based on reviewing all the components of the test as well as the clinical symptoms and signs of the patient.
Next: What does urinalysis involve? »
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