

A urine pH of 4 is strongly acidic, 7 is neutral (neither acidic nor alkaline), and 9 is strongly alkaline. The pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline (basic) the urine is. When you do not drink fluids, your kidneys make urine with a small amount of water in it, which has a high specific gravity. When you drink a lot of fluid, your kidneys make urine with a high amount of water in it, which has a low specific gravity. The higher the specific gravity, the more solid material is in the urine. It also shows how well the kidneys balance the amount of water in urine. This checks the amount of substances in the urine. coli bacteria can cause a bad odor, while diabetes or starvation can cause a sweet, fruity odor. Some diseases cause a change in the odor of urine. Urine does not smell very strong, but it has a slightly "nutty" odor. Bacteria, blood, sperm, crystals, or mucus can make urine look cloudy. Some medicines, blackberries, beets, rhubarb, or blood in the urine can turn urine red-brown. Vitamin B supplements can turn urine bright yellow. How dark or light the color is tells you how much water is in it. Many things affect urine color, including fluid balance, diet, medicines, and diseases. A regular urinalysis often includes the following tests: More than 100 different tests can be done on urine. What you eat and drink, how much you exercise, and how well your kidneys work can affect what is in your urine. Urine has hundreds of different body wastes. The kidneys take out waste material, minerals, fluids, and other substances from the blood to be passed in the urine. The test can give information about your health and problems you may have. A regular urine test may be done to help find the cause of symptoms. Trauma (e.g.A urine test checks different components of urine, a waste product made by the kidneys. Uncomplicated urinary tract infections diagnosed by positive leukocyte esterase and nitrite tests can be treated without culture.ĭehydration, exercise, hemoglobinuria, menstrual blood, myoglobinuriaĬaptopril (Capoten), elevated specific gravity, pH < 5.1, proteinuria, vitamin CĮlevated specific gravity, uric acid, vitamin CĪcidic urine, elevated specific gravity, mesna (Mesnex), phenolphthalein, some drug metabolites (e.g., levodopa)Įlevated specific gravity, glycosuria, ketonuria, proteinuria, some oxidizing drugs (cephalexin, nitrofurantoin, tetracycline, gentamicin), vitamin CĬontamination, exposure of dipstick to air, phenazopyridineĮlevated specific gravity, elevated urobilinogen levels, nitrate reductase-negative bacteria, pH < 6.0, vitamin CĪlkaline or concentrated urine, phenazopyridine, quaternary ammonia compoundsĪcidic or dilute urine, primary protein is not albuminĭextran solutions, IV radiopaque dyes, proteinuriaĬancer (kidney, ureteral, bladder, prostate, and urethral)ĭrugs (e.g., NSAIDs, heparin, warfarin, cyclophosphamide ) Although transient proteinuria typically is a benign condition, persistent proteinuria requires further work-up. Glomerular, renal, and urologic causes of microhematuria often can be differentiated by other elements of the urinalysis. Microhematuria has a range of causes, from benign to life threatening. Specific gravity provides a reliable assessment of the patient’s hydration status. Dipstick urinalysis is convenient, but false-positive and false-negative results can occur. A strong odor may be the result of a concentrated specimen rather than a urinary tract infection. Cloudy urine often is a result of precipitated phosphate crystals in alkaline urine, but pyuria also can be the cause. Midstream clean collection is acceptable in most situations, but the specimen should be examined within two hours of collection. A complete urinalysis includes physical, chemical, and microscopic examinations.
