Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
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 (30-60 ml's) may be required for urinalysis testing.
The sample can be either analyzed in the medical clinic or sent to a laboratory
to perform the tests. Urinalysis is abbreviated UA.
Urine can be evaluated by its physical appearance (color, cloudiness, odor,
clarity), or macroscopic analysis. It can be also analyzed based on its chemical
and molecular properties or microscopic assessment.
Urinalysis is ordered by doctors for a number of reasons, as follows:
Routine medical evaluation: general yearly screening, assessment before
surgery (pre-operative assessment), admission to hospital, screening for
kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension (high blood pressure),
liver
disease, etc.
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). Additional tests and clinical assessment are often required to further investigate findings of urinalysis and ultimately diagnose the causes or specific features of underlying problems. For example, urine infection is generally diagnosed based on results of urinalysis. However, urine culture is often ordered as a follow-up test to
identify the bacteria that may be causing the infection.
Other commonly performed urine tests are drug tests, pregnancy tests,
specific chemicals and proteins in the body, which are not a part of routine
urinalysis.
Urine drug screen is done routinely to check for drugs or their byproducts in
the urine. There are many purposes for these tests including athletic screening,
emergency rooms settings, drug detoxification programs, school and employment
screening. This test detects the presence of commonly used drugs such as:
cocaine,
amphetamines,
metamphetamines,
marijuana,
phencyclidine,
barbiturates,
benzodiazepines, and
opiates.
Urine pregnancy test is very common and it measures a hormone in the urine
associated with pregnancy (beta-HCG or beta- human chorionic gonadotropin). This
test can be done in medical settings, but numerous kits are available for home
use.
Other urine tests can also be used in evaluation of many medical conditions.
Examples include:
urine culture (in determining the bacterial cause of urine infection)
urine creatinine (in assessing kidney disease)....
Kidney failure can occur from an acute event or a chronic condition or disease. Prerenal kidney failure is caused by blood loss, dehydration, medication.
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of the kidney, ureter, bladder, and/or urethra. Not
everyone with a UTI has symptoms. Common symptoms include
Low blood pressure, also referred to as hypotension, is blood pressure that is so low that it causes symptoms or signs due to the low flow of blood through
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The two types of diabetes are referred to as type
Kidney infection (pyelonephritis) usually is caused from bacteria that have spread from the bladder from a UTI (urinary tract infection), poor hygiene,
Hyponatremia is a condition where the level of sodium in the blood is low. Causes of hyponatremia can occur from excess fluid in the body, or a loss of
Treatment for bladder cancer depends on the stage of the disease, the grade of the tumor, and the type of bladder cancer. Options for treatment include
Blood in semen is also known as hematospermia. Blood in semen can be caused by many conditions affecting the tubes that distribute semen from the testicles
Thrombocytopenia refers to a decreased number of platelets in the blood. There are many causes of thrombocytopenia such as decreased platelet production
Hydronephrosis is a condition in which the kidney swells, due to a backup of urine. Hydronephrosis generally occurs with another disease.Symptoms of hydronephrosis
Rhabdomyolysis is a rapid deterioration and destruction of skeletal muscle. Some of the causes of rhabdomyolysis include severe burns, muscle trauma, coma,
Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes chronic inflammation of the spine. The tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is genetically
Overactive bladder is a sudden involuntary contraction of the muscle wall of the bladder causing urinary urgency (an immediate unstoppable need to urinate).
Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP or anaphylactoid purpura), a type of blood vessel inflammation, results in rash, arthritis, and occasional abdominal cramping.
Hypercalcemia is a condition in which calcium levels in the blood are elevated. Hypercalcemia is associated with other conditions such as hyperparathyroidism,
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that lasts 6 months or longer, is not improved by bed
Urinary retention (inability to urinate) may be caused by nerve disease, spinal cord injury, prostate enlargement, infection, surgery, medication, bladder
Diabetes insipidus is a condition in which the patient has frequent urination. Symptoms of diabetes insipidus include irritable, listless, fever, vomiting,
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very common in children. Symptoms and signs include fever and abdominal pain. Associated symptoms and signs include
Reactive arthritis is a chronic, systemic rheumatic disease characterized by three conditions, including conjunctivitis, joint inflammation, and genital,
Urethral cancer is a rare form of cancer that primarily affects white females, people over 60 years of age, and those who have stds or who experience frequent
There are many types of urinary incontinence (UI), which is the accidental leakage of urine. These types include stress incontinence, urge incontinence,
Millions of women suffer from urinary incontinence (UI). UI occurs twice as often in women as in men. There are many types of urinary incontinence: stress
A cystoscopy is an examination of the inside of the bladder and urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. In men, the urethra is the tube that runs through the penis. The d"...
