urine test
A urinalysis, often called a urine test, is a common medical test that examines urine to check for various health conditions. It can help detect urinary tract infections, kidney problems, diabetes, and other issues. The test involves analyzing the urine's appearance, chemical composition, and microscopic components.
Types of Urine Tests:
- Urinalysis: This is a general test that examines the physical, chemical, and microscopic properties of the urine.
- Urine Culture: This test checks for bacterial or fungal infections in the urine.
- 24-Hour Urine Collection: This test collects urine over a 24-hour period to measure specific substances in the urine, often used to assess kidney function.
- Urine Drug Screening: This test checks for the presence of certain drugs in the urine.
- Urine Pregnancy Test: This test detects the presence of the pregnancy hormone hCG in the urine.
What a urinalysis checks for:
- Physical examination: Color, clarity, and odor of the urine.
- Chemical examination: pH level, protein, glucose, ketones, bilirubin, blood, nitrites, and leukocyte esterase.
- Microscopic examination: Red blood cells, white blood cells, bacteria, crystals, and casts.
Why a urine test is done:
- Diagnose infections: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and other infections.
- Assess kidney function: Detect kidney problems like kidney disease or damage.
- Monitor diabetes: Check for high blood sugar (glucose) in the urine, which may indicate diabetes.
- Screen for other conditions: Check for blood in the urine, which could be a sign of various conditions.
- Routine checkups: As part of a general health checkup or before surgery.
- Monitor pregnancy: Check for signs of infection or other health issues during pregnancy.