UA is in general easily available and relatively inexpensive. It is also a simple test and can provide many useful information about various diseases and conditions. Some physicians refer to urinalysis as "a poor man's kidney biopsy" because of the plethora of information that can be obtained about the health of the kidney or other internal diseases by this simple test. Studies have shown that when urinalysis is performed with an instrument, sensitivity is increased and positives are correctly identified and reported. 4

Visual exam. The urine will be looked at for color and clearness. Blood may make urine look red or the color of tea or cola. An infection may make urine look cloudy. Foamy urine can be a sign of kidney problems. Causes of low specific gravity include conditions that result in the production of dilute urine such as diabetes insipidus and acute tubular necrosis. A number of substances interfere with the Ehrlich reaction on the Multistix strip: porphobilinogen, indican, p-amino salicylic acid, sulphonamide, methyldopa, procaine and chlorpromazine. The test should be carried out at room temperature as the reaction's sensitivity increases with temperature. Poorly stored samples can yield false negative results as the urobilinogen suffers photo oxidation to urobilin that does not react. The formaldehyde used as a preservative produces false negatives in both reactions. [16] Urinary infections [ edit ] In many liver diseases the patients often show signs of pathology only at a late stage. Early diagnosis allows appropriate therapeutic measures to be instituted in good time, avoiding consequential damage and further infections.a b c Strasinger, Susan K.; Di Lorenzo Schaub, Marjorie (2008). "5". Análisis de orina y de los líquidos corporales (in Spanish) (5ªed.). Editorial panamericana. pp.75–76. ISBN 978-950-06-1938-7 . Retrieved 14 March 2012. Urine can be evaluated by its physical appearance (color, cloudiness, odor, clarity), also referred to as a macroscopic analysis. It can be also analyzed based on its chemical and molecular properties, including microscopic assessment. If you test positive for a UTI, there are a few different treatment options you can choose from. When deciding, you should carefully consider which treatment will be best for you, and talk to your doctor before beginning treatment. Which treatment is best for you depends on whether you have had a UTI before, how bad your UTI is, what caused it, and whether you are pregnant. Concentrated urine can be the result of dehydration. When assessing specific gravity, environmental factors such as temperatures should be taken into account. Conclusion

You might also be interested in our collection of 900+ OSCE Stations, including a range of clinical procedure and data interpretation stations. Presence or absence of each of these color changes on the strip provides important information for clinical decisions. Microscopic: undetectable to the naked eye; reagent strips or a microscope are needed to identify it. It is normal to find up to 3 (occasionally 5) leukocytes per high power field (40X) in a urine sample, with women having slightly higher results owing to vaginal contamination. [ citation needed] Higher numbers indicate urinary infection. The urine test strip test for white blood cells detects leukocyte esterase, which is present in azurophilic granules of monocytes and granulocytes ( neutrophilic, eosinophilic and basophilic). Bacteria, lymphocytes and epithelial cells from the genitourinary tract do not contain esterases. [21] Neutrophil granulocytes are the leukocytes most commonly associated with urinary infections. A positive test for leukocyte esterase normally indicates the presence of bacteria and a positive nitrite test (although it is not always the case). Infections caused by Trichomonas, Chlamydia and yeasts produce leukocyturia without bacteriuria. The inflammation of the renal tissues ( interstitial nephritis) can produce leukocyturia, in particular toxic interstitial nephritis with predominant eosinophils. [21] Brigden ML, Edgell D, McPherson M, Leadbeater A, Hoag G (March 1992). "High incidence of significant urinary ascorbic acid concentrations in a west coast population—implications for routine urinalysis". Clin. Chem. 38 (3): 426–31. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/38.3.426. PMID 1547565.

You may also like…

Conjugated bilirubin appears in urine when the normal degradation cycle is altered due to the obstruction of the biliary ducts or when the kidney's functional integrity is damaged. This allows the escape of conjugated bilirubin into the circulation as occurs in hepatitis and hepatic cirrhosis). a b c d e f Strasinger, Susan K.; Di Lorenzo Schaub, Marjorie (2008). "5". Análisis de orina y de los líquidos corporales (in Spanish) (5ªed.). Editorial panamericana. pp.53–76. ISBN 978-950-06-1938-7 . Retrieved March 13, 2012. Routine medical evaluation: general yearly screening, assessment before surgery (preoperative assessment), admission to hospital, screening for kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension ( high blood pressure), liver disease, etc. UTI is short for Urinary Tract Infection, also known as cystitis. UTIs are caused by bacteria, normally from your poo, travelling up your urethra and reaching your urinary tract. It can also be caused by normally harmless bacteria living on your skin getting into your urinary tract. This may happen when you wipe after you use the toilet, or when you are having sex. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is known to interfere with the oxidation reaction of the blood and glucose pad on common urine test strips. Some urine test strips are protected against the interference with iodate, which eliminates ascorbic acid by oxidation. [25] Some test strips include a test for urinary ascorbate.

Bilirubin is a chemical produced when red blood cells are broken down. It is transported in the blood to the liver, where it is processed and excreted into the gut as a constituent of bile. In the gut, bacteria acts on the bilirubin to transform it into urobiligen. It is usual for urine to contain urobiligen but not bilirubin. Bilirubin in the urine may be an indicator of a breakdown of red blood cells. It may not be effectively removed by the liver, which may suggest liver disease or a problem with drainage of bile into the gut, such as gall stones. NitritesCauses of raised urinary pH include urinary tract infection, conditions that cause metabolic alkalosis (e.g. vomiting) and medications (e.g. diuretics). With the aid of routine examinations early symptoms of the following four groups can be identified: During routine screening, if a positive test for leukocytes, blood, protein, nitrite, and a pH greater than 7 is identified, the urine sediment may be microscopically analysed to further pinpoint a diagnosis.

First-morning specimen: first specimen of morning (or eight hours after recumbent position). Best sample for pregnancy testing;Carl Friedrich Gärtner (1772–1850) expressed a wish for an easy way of testing urine for disease at the patient's bedside. [24] a b c Strasinger, Susan K.; Di Lorenzo Schaub, Marjorie (2008). "5". Análisis de orina y de los líquidos corporales (in Spanish) (5ªed.). Editorial panamericana. pp.70–73. ISBN 978-950-06-1938-7 . Retrieved 14 March 2012.