Research Biomarker Category Urinalysis

Urinalysis

A urinalysis is a test of your urine. A urinalysis is used to detect and manage a wide range of disorders, such as urinary tract infections (aka UTI), kidney disease and diabetes.

A urinalysis involves checking the appearance, concentration and content of urine. Abnormal urinalysis results may point to a disease or illness.

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 uncover the source of the problem.

Why a urinalysis is performed:

To check your overall health. Your doctor may recommend a urinalysis as part of a routine medical exam, pregnancy checkup, pre-surgery preparation, or on hospital admission to screen for a variety of disorders, such as diabetes, kidney disease and liver disease.
To diagnose a medical condition. Your doctor may suggest a urinalysis if you're experiencing abdominal pain, back pain, frequent or painful urination, blood in your urine, or other urinary problems. A urinalysis may help diagnose the cause of these symptoms.
To monitor a medical condition. If you've been diagnosed with a medical condition, such as kidney disease or a urinary tract disease, your doctor may recommend a urinalysis on a regular basis to monitor your condition and treatment.

Albumin, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0.0001 %

Albumin is one of the proteins found in your blood. If albumin shows up in your urine, it may be a sign of kidney damage.

Alpha-1-Globulin, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0 %

Alpha-2 globulins is a class of proteins that has many functions in the body and is involved in inflammation.

Alpha-2-Globulin, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0 %

Alpha-2 globulins is a class of proteins that has many functions in the body and is involved in inflammation.

Arsenic (Inorganic), Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 19 ug/L

Arsenic, a toxic heavy metal, can accumulate in the body. It may be of an organic or inorganic (toxic form) source. High levels cause GI distress, kidney problems, skin, heart and nervous system changes in health.

Arsenic (Total), Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 50 ug/L

Arsenic is an element found in nature, and in man-made products, including some pesticides. Arsenic is widely distributed in the Earth’s crust. It is found in water, air, food, and soil.

Arsenic, Urine 24 Hr

Optimal range: 0 - 50 ug/24 hr

Arsenic is an element found in nature, and in man-made products, including some pesticides. Arsenic is widely distributed in the Earth’s crust. It is found in water, air, food, and soil.

Bacteria

Optimal range: 0 - 0 %

If bacteria grow in the urine culture test and you have symptoms of an infection or bladder irritation, it means you have a UTI (= Urinary tract infection).

Urine contains fluids, salts and waste products but is sterile or free of bacteria, viruses and other disease-causing organisms. A UTI occurs when bacteria from another source, such as the nearby anus, gets into the urethra. The most common bacteria found to cause UTIs is Escherichia coli (E. coli). Other bacteria can cause UTI, but E. coli is the culprit about 90 percent of the time.

E. coli normally lives harmlessly in the human intestinal tract, but it can cause serious infections if it gets into the urinary tract. In women, the trip from the anus to the urethra is a short one. This is the reason why "wiping front to back" after using the toilet is helpful in preventing UTI.

Beta Globulin, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0 %

Beta globulin proteins help carry substances, such as iron, through the bloodstream and help fight infection. They should normally not be detected in urine.

Bilirubin, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0.001 mg/dL

Bilirubin is primarily derived from metabolism of hemoglobin. Only conjugated bilirubin is excreted into the urine and normally only trace amounts can be detected in urine.

Cadmium, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 1 ug/L

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal found in soil, water, and air. Plants may contain high levels; foods that tend to accumulate it include soy, rice, tobacco, sunflower seeds and leafy greens. Health problems result from cadmium exposure.

Calcium Oxalate Crystals

Optimal range: 0 - 0 %

Calcium oxalate crystals are the most common cause of kidney stones — hard clumps of minerals and other substances that form in the kidneys. These crystals are made from oxalate — a substance found in foods like green, leafy vegetables — combined with calcium. Having too much oxalate or too little urine can cause the oxalate to crystalize and clump together into stones.

Kidney stones can be very painful. They can also cause complications like urinary tract infections. But they are often preventable with a few dietary changes.

Calcium, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0 mg/dL

Calcium, Urine 24hr

Optimal range: 47 - 462 mg/24 hr

A calcium in urine test measures the amount of calcium in your urine. Calcium is one of the most important minerals in your body. You need calcium for healthy bones and teeth. Calcium is also essential for proper functioning of your nerves, muscles, and heart. Almost all of your body's calcium is stored in your bones.

Chloride, Urine

Optimal range: 110 - 250 mmol/24 hr

Chloride is the most abundant ion outside of cells. It is important for maintaining osmotic pressure, nerve cell function, and fluid balance. The urine chloride test is used primarily in cases of suspected metabolic alkalosis.

Coproporphyrin I

Optimal range: 7.1 - 48.7 mcg/g creat

Coproporphyrin I is a porphyrin metabolite arising from heme synthesis.

Coproporphyrin III

Optimal range: 4.1 - 76.4 mcg/g creat

Coproporphyrin III is a porphyrin derivative.

Small amounts of porphyrins (coproporphyrin) are excreted in normal human urine. Coproporphyrin also is present in bile and feces.

Creatinine (CRT), Urine

Optimal range: 0.3 - 3 g/L

A creatinine test reveals important information about your kidneys.

Creatinine is a chemical waste product of creatine, an amino acid made by the liver and stored in the liver. Creatinine is the result of normal muscle metabolism. The chemical enters your bloodstream after it’s broken down. Your kidneys remove it from your blood. The creatinine then exits the body through urination.

Creatinine, Ur 24hr

Optimal range: 800 - 1800 mg/24 hr

Creatinine is a chemical waste product produced by muscle metabolism. When your kidneys are functioning normally, they filter creatinine and other waste products out of your blood. These waste products are removed from your body through urination.

Gamma Globulin, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0 %

The gamma-globulin fraction contains the immunoglobulins, a family of proteins that function as antibodies.

Glucose Qualitative, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 15 mg/dL

Glucose is usually not present in urine, because in the kidneys glucose is reabsorbed from the filtrate of glomerulus, across the tubular epithelium of proximal tubule into the bloodstream.

Heptacarboxyporphyrin

Optimal range: 0 - 2.9 mcg/g creat

Heptacarboxyporphyrin is a Porphyrin.

Porphyrins are precursors of heme and usually only occur in urine in negligible amounts.

Hexacarboxyporphyrin

Optimal range: 0 - 5.4 mcg/g creat

Hexacarboxyporphyrin is a Porphyrin. Porphyrins are precursors of heme and usually only occur in urine in negligible amounts.

Hyaline Cast

Optimal range: 0 - 1.9 casts/lpf

Urinary casts are tiny tube-shaped particles that can be found when urine is examined under the microscope during a test called urinalysis. Hyaline casts can be present in low numbers (0-1/LPF) in concentrated urine of otherwise normal patients and are not always associated with renal disease.

IODINE, RANDOM URINE

Optimal range: 34 - 523 mcg/L

Measurement of urinary iodine excretion provides the best index of dietary iodine intake.

Ketones, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0.001 Units

What are ketones?

Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for energy. Normally, your body gets the energy it needs from carbohydrates in your diet. But stored fat is broken down and ketones are made if your diet does not contain enough carbohydrate to supply the body with sugar (glucose) for energy or if your body can't use blood sugar (glucose) properly.

Having some ketones in your urine is normal. However, high ketone levels in urine may be a sign of too much acid in your body (ketoacidosis). The most common and life-threatening type of ketoacidosis is a complication of diabetes called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). If left untreated DKA can cause damage to organs and even death. This is why it is important to know the signs of ketonuria and when to check your ketone levels with a urine or blood test.

Lead, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 29 ug/L

Lead is a potentially toxic element found in paints, batteries, electronics, and ceramics as well as in air, soil, and water. A urine test is a noninvasive test that can detect high levels of lead and prevent potential health issues.

Leukocyte Esterase, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0.001 Units

Leukocyte esterase is a test used to detect a substance that suggests there are white blood cells in the urine. This may mean you have a urinary tract infection (UTI).

M-Spike (Urine)

Optimal range: 0 - 0.001 %

M-protein is an abnormal protein produced by myeloma cells that accumulates in and damages bone and bone marrow.

Mercury, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 19 ug/L

Mercury, abbreviated Hg, comes in inorganic and organic forms. Both are toxic when they accumulate in the body and are associated with serious health problems.

Mercury, Urine 24 Hr

Optimal range: 0 - 20 ug/24 hr

Mercury/Creatinine Ratio, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 5 ug/g creat

Mucous

Optimal range: 0 - 0 Units

Other names: microscopic urine analysis, microscopic examination of urine, urine test, urine analysis, UA

Mucus is a thick, slippery fluid that coats and moistens certain parts of the body, including the nose, mouth, throat, and urinary tract. A small amount of mucus in your urine (pee) is normal. Having too much mucus may be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI) or other medical condition. A test called urinalysis can detect whether there is too much mucus in your urine.

Nitrite, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 0.001 Units

The presence of nitrates in urine is often considered a predictor of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Urinary tract infections are the most common cause of nitrites in urine. These occur when bacteria infect the bladder, ureters, or kidneys. Nitrites are byproducts of nitrogen waste. Bacteria responsible for an infection feed on this waste, breaking it down into nitrates, which can appear in the urine.

Pentacarboxyporphyrin

Optimal range: 0 - 3.5 mcg/g creat

Porphyrins

Optimal range: 50 - 300 mg

Porphyrins are natural chemicals in the body that help form many important substances in the body. One of these is hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the blood.

Potassium, Urine

Optimal range: 25 - 125 mmol/24 hr

Potassium is an electrolyte that helps your cells and organs work. Your body needs it to digest food, keep your heart beating right, and various other activities. You get most of your potassium from foods. Your body uses what it needs, and your kidneys put the rest into your urine as waste.

Protein, 24hr calculated (Urine)

Optimal range: 30 - 150 mg/24 hr

Red Blood Cells (RBC), Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 2 /hpf

Red blood cells can enter the urine from the vagina in menstruation or from the trauma of bladder catheterization (a procedure used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions).

Sodium, Urine

Optimal range: 39 - 258 mmol/24 hr

Sodium is an important electrolyte (a mineral in your blood and other bodily fluids) that helps your body and cells function. It helps your body regulate how much fluid it retains.

Squamous Epithelial Cells

Optimal range: 0 - 3 HPF

The most common type of cell seen in the urine sediment is the squamous epithelial cell. A squamous epithelial cell is a large flattened cell with abundant cytoplasm and small round central nucleus. Although squamous epithelial cells have little clinical significance, they must be differentiated from other cellular elements.

Total Porphyrins

Optimal range: 23.3 - 132.4 mcg/g creat

Porphyrins are natural chemicals in the body that help form many important substances in the body such as hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the blood. Porphyrins are normally present at low concentrations in blood and other body fluids, such as urine.

Total Protein, Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 20 mg/dL

Urine protein tests detect and/or measure protein being released into the urine. If the kidneys are damaged or compromised due to other conditions, they become less effective at filtering, causing detectable amounts of protein to spill over into the urine.

Tripelphosphates, urine qualitative

Optimal range: 0 - 0 %

Urine Occult Blood

Optimal range: 0 - 0.001 mg/d

Urine occult blood is a test to determine if there is blood present in the urine and is done, along with several other tests, during a routine analysis of the urine. Although some urine in the blood isn’t unusual, it can also indicate severe problems with the kidneys or cancer.

Urine pH

Optimal range: 5 - 7.5 pH

Urine pH is a test to assess the pH level of your urine and is done, along with several other tests, during a routine analysis of the urine. Although some fluctuation of urine pH is normal, excessively acidic or alkaline urine can indicate a problem with the kidneys or digestive system.

Urine Specific Gravity

Optimal range: 1.005 - 1.03 SG

Urine specific gravity is a test to assess the concentration of your urine and is done, along with several other tests, during a routine analysis of the urine. An abnormal urine specific gravity test likely indicates a problem with the kidneys or heart.

Urobilinogen Bilirubin, Urine

Optimal range: 0.2 - 2 mg/dL

Urobilinogen comes from the transformation of bilirubin, a product of the breakdown of hemoglobin in the red blood cells (=heme catabolism).

Urobilinogen is formed from bilirubin by intestinal bacteria in the duodenum (=the first part of the small intestine). Most urobilinogen is excreted in the feces (90%). A portion of it is absorbed back into the blood (around 10%). Around 5% is transported back to the liver and re-secreted into bile again. The remaining urobilinogen (5%) is transported by the blood into the kidneys where it is converted into yellow urobilin and is excreted giving urine its characteristic yellow color.

Uroporphyrin I

Optimal range: 4.1 - 22.4 mcg/g creat

Porphyrins are a group of compounds defined by their chemical structure. These compounds are by-products of heme synthesis and are normally present at low levels in blood and other body fluids. Porphyrin tests measure porphyrins and their precursors in urine, blood, and/or stool.

Uroporphyrin III

Optimal range: 0.7 - 7.4 mcg/g creat

Porphyrins are a group of compounds defined by their chemical structure. These compounds are by-products of heme synthesis and are normally present at low levels in blood and other body fluids. Porphyrin tests measure porphyrins and their precursors in urine, blood, and/or stool.

White Blood Cells (WBC), Urine

Optimal range: 0 - 10 /hpf

Urine is a generally thought of as a sterile body fluid, therefore, evidence of white blood cells or bacteria in the urine is considered abnormal and may suggest a urinary tract infection such as, bladder infection (cystitis), infection of kidney (pyelonephritis).