URINALYSIS

 

What is a Urinalysis?

A urinalysis, or UA, as you'll hear it called, is a test done on your urine to check for signs of infection or the presence of blood, sugar or protein that might indicate a problem.

 

What Does the Lab Look at?

- The lab staff will use your urine specimen to look at and for the following things:

- Urine Appearance: Normal urine color is pale to dark yellow or amber and shouldn’t be cloudy.

- White Blood Cells: These often indicate the presence of possible infection.

- Nitrites: If your urine contains these, that is also a sign of infection.

- Leukocyte Estrase: Again, if these are found, it is another indication of infection.

- Ketones: Ketones are usually present in the urine with diabetes or starvation.

- Glucose: Glucose is a form of sugar and usually shows up in the urine if the blood glucose is above 180, this can be an indication of diabetes.

- Red Blood Cells: Having red blood cells in the urine can mean a number of things to include; bleeding in the urinary tract, infection, or simply contamination with menstrual blood from females. The cause should ALWAYS be sought out, especially in men.

- Protein: Protein in your urine is not normal and a reason why it’s there needs to be determined. It can be caused by many things, including kidney problems, diabetes, and bone cancer.

- Urobilinogen: Having Urobilinogen in your urine can be seen with patients having liver disease, breakage of blood cells, and those people taking certain medications (e.g., iodine).

 

Why Would My Doctor Order a UA?

- This test is ordered at the discretion of you doctor. Many order them routinely, others based on symptoms or suspicion of related illnesses.

- It can be a very valuable tool in evaluating women during pregnancy. This often provides early detection of problems that can be averted by catching them in their beginning stages.

 

Are There Special Instructions I Need to Follow?

- If your doctor wants the lab to evaluate a highly concentrated urine specimen, he'll recommend a specific collection procedure.

- Timing: An early morning specimen taken 6 hours from the last time you've urinated and 8 hours after fasting is the most concentrate. This is the most likely way to find certain abnormalities.

- Before giving a sample, both men and women will be asked to clean their outer genitalia with a moistened cotton pad provided by your doctor or the lab staff. No soaps or disinfectants should be used as they may contaminate the urine specimen.

- A clean or sterile container will also be provided for you. Your urine should be collected directly into this container as you urinate. You may hear the term "mid-stream" or “clean catch” urine. This means you need to start your flow of urine into the toilet to dispose of any old urine, then stop, catch the middle stream of urine in your collection cup, and finally, finish urinating into the toilet.

- The urinalysis should be performed as soon as the specimen is provided. If that isn't possible, the urine should be refrigerated until the test can be performed.

- Urine specimens may be contaminated from menstruating women, so may be delayed until after the woman's cycle is completed.