Urinalysis is a standard medical test that helps detect various health conditions and allows for monitoring after following a treatment plan. It is a simple test that involves collecting and sending a urine sample to the laboratory. However, the question remains: What do the results of a urinalysis indicate? Read on to discover the details about “Urinalysis: What Does It Reveal?” (1)

Urinalysis: What Does It Reveal?

A urinalysis is divided into visual examination, dipstick testing, and microscopic examination. Each component can reveal different health statuses. Let’s explore what each part of Urinalysis shows: (2)

• Visual Examination of Urine: What Does It Reveal?

Normal urine is clear and ranges from colorless to pale or dark yellow. However, deviations from these specifications may indicate the following: (2)(3)

• The unusual odor may indicate urinary tract infections.
• Blood in the urine may indicate diseases of the urinary system.
• Cloudy urine is not always associated with health issues and may be caused by harmless factors like sperm or non-harmful skin cells. However, in some cases, it may be linked to dehydration, urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, kidney inflammations, kidney or bladder stones, diabetes, or blood disorders.
  
  
  

• Dipstick Testing: What Does It Reveal?

This test helps detect the presence of certain chemicals in the urine, which can indicate various health conditions. Here are the details regarding each substance: (3)(4)

• Protein: Detecting proteins in the urine, such as albumin, may indicate heart failure, kidney diseases, or dehydration.
• pH: Elevated levels of urine acidity may indicate kidney diseases or urinary tract infections, while decreased acidity levels may be associated with diarrhea or ketoacidosis related to diabetes.
• Ketones: Ketones are produced during the fat and fatty acid breakdown, and their presence in the urine is often linked to diabetic ketoacidosis.
• Glucose: Glucose in the urine indicates diabetes or gestational diabetes.
• Bilirubin: Its presence in the urine suggests liver or bile duct problems.
• Nitrites: The presence of nitrites in the urine may indicate urinary tract infections in some cases, meaning that a negative result does not necessarily rule out an infection.

• Microscopic Examination

In this part of the examination, the laboratory technician places a urine sample under the microscope and looks for cells, cell fragments, mucus, bacteria, and other disease-causing agents. The following are the diseases that can be detected through microscopic examination:(3)(4)(1)

• Red blood cells: Elevated levels of red blood cells in the urine indicate the presence of blood in the urine, which can be associated with kidney, bladder, or urinary tract infections.
• White blood cells: A positive test for white blood cells is associated with an infection in the urinary tract.
• Epithelial cells: Epithelial cells form the inner and outer lining of the body cavity and organs. It is usual for these cells to be present in the urine but at specific levels. Therefore, an increase in their levels is associated with inflammation or cancer in the urinary tract.
• Bacteria and yeast: Their presence is associated with urinary tract infections. The presence of bacteria indicates bacterial urinary tract infections, while the presence of yeast indicates fungal urinary tract infections.
• Parasites: Parasites reveal the presence of trichomoniasis, which is a sexually transmitted infection.
  

Interpreting Urinalysis Results

Urinalysis will cover all the previously mentioned components, showing the reference value for a healthy individual. The results may include a written description providing additional details about the microscopic and visual examination results.

When the examination results are released, it is essential to communicate with a doctor to read and analyze them and determine if you have a health condition requiring treatment. (5)

We will provide the normal results for each component in the following table for further details about Urinalysis results. It’s worth mentioning that normal levels may vary slightly between different laboratories due to differences in measurement tools:(5)(6)