Urinalysis: What Your Urine Can Tell You

What Urinalysis Tells Doctors About Your Health

As the name suggests, urinalysis is a laboratory test performed using a urine sample to help doctors detect issues or changes that may affect the body. From measuring pH levels to detecting the presence of bacteria, there's a lot that medical professionals can learn from a urine sample.

What Urinalysis Can Detect

When it comes to certain diseases and health conditions, they can affect how the body removes waste. This can alter the color, odor, concentration, and content of your urine.

More often than not, urinalysis is done to detect the presence of the following health issues:

• Urinary tract infections
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Diabetes

Components of Urinalysis

Visual Exam

During the visual examination, the color and clearness of the urine sample are observed. Some common abnormalities include a red or brown hue due to the presence of blood or cloudiness that may suggest infection.

Microscopic Exam

For a microscopic exam, a small amount of urine is looked at under a microscope to look for abnormalities that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Abnormalities that can be detected include:

• Red blood cells
• White blood cells
• Bacteria
• Crystals

Dipstick Test

A dipstick test is done by placing a plastic stick with chemical strips on it into the urine sample. These chemical strips will then change color if certain substances are present or above normal in the urine sample.

Dipstick tests can check for the following:

• pH levels (acidity)
• The presence of protein
• The presence of glucose (sugar)
• The presence of white blood cells
• The presence of bilirubin
• The presence of blood

Although many people visit the doctor once they begin to notice physical symptoms, urinalysis can also detect the presence of health concerns before symptoms are even present. Not only does this help to catch health issues early on to treat them effectively, but it can also help to avoid serious complications down the line.

Diagnostics Laboratory in Louisville, Kentucky

At Bluewater Diagnostic Laboratory, we strive to offer solutions to our healthcare partners by delivering timely, accurate results with expert analysis and interpretation. As a complex molecular and clinical laboratory, we are dedicated to providing our clients with accurate patient diagnoses leading to successful treatment plans.

Call (502) 538-2980 or visit our dedicated client services page for more information.