Urine Complete Test

Urine Complete Test, It’s used to detect and manage a wide range of disorders, such as urinary tract infections, kidney disease, and diabetes. A urinalysis involves checking the appearance, concentration, and content of urine.

For example, a urinary tract infection can make urine look cloudy instead of clear. Increased levels of protein in urine can be a sign of kidney disease. Unusual urinalysis results often require more testing to find the source of the problem.

Purpose of Urine Complete

• To check your overall health. A urinalysis might be part of a routine medical exam, pregnancy checkup, or pre-surgery preparation. Or it might be used to screen for a variety of disorders, such as diabetes, kidney disease, or liver disease when you’re admitted to a hospital.
• To diagnose a medical condition. A urinalysis might be requested if you have abdominal pain, back pain, frequent or painful urination, blood in your urine, or other urinary problems. 

How Does Urine Complete Work?

There are three ways to analyze urine, and your test might use all of them.

One is a visual exam, which checks the color and clarity. If your pee has blood in it, it might be red or dark brown. Foam can be a sign of kidney disease, while cloudy urine may mean you have an infection.

Some of the things that shouldn’t be in your urine that a microscope can find include:

• Red blood cells
• White blood cells
• Bacteria
• Crystals (clumps of minerals, a possible sign of kidney stones) 

• Acidity, or pH. If the acid is abnormal, you could have kidney stones, or a urinary tract infection (UTI).
• Protein. This can be a sign your kidneys aren’t working right. Kidneys filter waste products out of your blood.
• Glucose. A high sugar content is a marker for diabetes.
• White blood cells. These are a sign of infection or inflammation, either in the kidneys or anywhere else along your urinary tract.
• Nitrites. This means that there is an infection with certain kinds of bacteria.
• Bilirubin. If this waste product, which is normally eliminated by your liver, shows up, it may mean your liver isn’t working properly.
• Blood in your urine. Sometimes this is a sign of infections or certain illnesses.

How Do I Prepare for a Urinalysis?

If urinalysis is the only test you’re having, you should be able to eat and drink normally before the procedure.

Be sure to let your doctor know about all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements. 

1. Wash the area around the urinary opening.
2. Start to pee into the toilet.
3. Stop midstream.
4. Let 1-2 ounces flow into the container.
5. Finish peeing in the toilet.
6. Follow your doctor’s directions for handing over the sample.

For babies and other people unable to provide a sample this way, a doctor may have to insert a soft, narrow tube called a catheter through the urinary opening and into the bladder.

Results

For a urinalysis, your urine sample is evaluated in three ways: visual exam, dipstick test, and microscopic exam.

Visual exam

A lab technician examines the urine’s appearance. Urine is typically clear. Protein in urine can make it appear foamy.

Blood in the urine can make it look red or brown. Urine color can be influenced by what you’ve just eaten or by certain drugs you’re taking. 

Dipstick test

A dipstick — a thin, plastic stick with strips of chemicals on it — is placed in the urine. The chemical strips change color if certain substances are present or if their levels are above typical levels. A dipstick test checks for:

• Acidity (pH). The pH level indicates the amount of acid in urine. The pH level might indicate a kidney or urinary tract disorder.
• Concentration. A measure of concentration shows how concentrated the particles are in your urine.
• Protein. Low levels of protein in urine are typical. 
• Sugar. The amount of sugar (glucose) in urine is typically too low to be detected. Any detection of sugar on this test usually calls for follow-up testing for diabetes.
• Ketones. As with sugar, any amount of ketones detected in your urine could be a sign of diabetes and requires follow-up testing.
• Bilirubin. Bilirubin is a product of red blood cell breakdown. Bilirubin in your urine might indicate liver damage or disease.
• Blood. Blood in your urine requires additional testing. It may be a sign of kidney damage, infection, kidney or bladder stones, kidney or bladder cancer, or blood disorders.

Microscopic exam

Sometimes performed as part of a urinalysis, this test involves viewing drops of concentrated urine — urine that’s been spun in a machine — under a microscope.

• White blood cells (leukocytes) might be a sign of an infection.
• Red blood cells (erythrocytes) might be a sign of kidney disease, a blood disorder, or another underlying medical condition, such as bladder cancer.
• Bacteria, yeast, or parasites can indicate an infection.
• Casts — tube-shaped proteins — can be a result of kidney disorders.
• Crystals that form from chemicals in urine might be a sign of kidney stones.

A urinalysis alone usually doesn’t provide a definite diagnosis. Depending on the reason your provider recommended this test, you might need follow-up for unusual results. Evaluation of the urinalysis results with other tests can help your provider determine the next steps.