URINALYSIS
Finding the Clues Hidden in Urine

What is a Urinalysis?
• Urinalysis: A test that determines the content of the urine.
– Because urine removes toxins and excess liquids from the body, its contents can provide vital health information.
– Urinalysis can be used to detect some types of disease, particularly in the case of metabolic disorders and kidney disease.
– Urinalysis can also be used to uncover evidence of drug abuse.

Kidney Function
• The role of the kidneys is to maintain homeostasis by controlling the chemical composition of the blood. The kidneys do this by:
– Removing waste products from the blood
– Leaving nutrients such as proteins and glucose in the blood
– Maintaining the acid-base balance
– Regulating water and electrolyte balance

Proper Kidney Function
• Therefore, if the kidneys are functioning properly and person is in good over-all health, urine will be normal.
• If urine shows abnormalities, this can indicate problem with kidneys. The following conditions can cause kidney problems:
– Congestive heart failure
– Injury to glomerulus or tubules from drugs, heavy metals, and viral infections.
– Diabetes, hypertension, and kidney stones

Urinalysis Basics
• Urinalysis consists of the following components: – Macroscopic Examination- eyeballing (color and clarity)
– Chemical Analysis- dipstick
– Microscopic Examination- crystals and chemicals Macroscopic Examination
• Looking at the physical properties of the urine: – Color:
• Normal urine should be a shade of yellow ranging from a straw to amber color.
• Abnormal urine can be: colorless (over hydrated), dark yellow, orange, pink, red, green, brown, or black (malaria).

– Clarity (transparency):
• Normal urine should be clear
• Abnormal urine can be: hazy, cloudy, or turbid

Chemical Analysis
• The chemical properties of urine, including pH, specific gravity, protein content, glucose content, ketone content, are tested. • Urine test strips are often used to detect the chemical properties of urine.

Parts of Chemical Analysis
• pH
– Test measures if urine is acidic, basic or neutral
– Normal urine ranges from 4.6 to 8.0

• Specific Gravity:
– Test measures the concentration of particles in the urine and evaluates the body’s water balance.
– The more concentrated the urine, the higher the urine specific gravity.(dehydration)
– The most common increase in urine specific gravity is the result of dehydration.
– Normal urine ranges between 1.002 to 1.028

Parts of Chemical Analysis
• Ketones:
– Test measures the presence or absence of ketones, the endpoint of rapid or excessive fat breakdown, in the urine.
– Normal urine does not contain ketones
– (keytolosis)
– Note the odor

• Protein:
– Normal urine levels of proteins (called albumin) are very small, usually approximately 0 to 8 mg/dl.

Parts of Chemical Analysis
• Glucose:
– The test measures the amount of sugar in a