How Urine Routine Test helps you to stay healthy?
A urine routine test can reveal a lot about a person’s overall health. By closely analyzing the levels of minerals and proteins in your urine, your healthcare provider can easily detect your illness.
Urine routine examinations are done primarily with your annual routine checkup. Along with other blood tests, it is imperative to notice the changes in your urine. For example, cloudy urine is indicative of a UTI, or urinary tract infection. Another analysis is that high levels of protein content in your urine can surely be a sign of a kidney-associated ailment.
What does urine routine analysis convey about your health?
There are three basic things that testing succeeds in figuring out:
- Have a look at your whole well-being.
- Search for a new health problem
- Examine an existing health condition.
Unusual urine routine test results may reveal a lot more complications that have to be further diagnosed. Additionally, specialised diagnostic tests, such as a pregnancy test, may check for particular components in the urine.
When is the urine test performed?
Many illnesses can block the removal of toxins from your body, like those related to the lungs, kidneys, bladder, urinary tract, etc. It is mostly done:
- Before undergoing a surgery
- In pregnant women, prior to pregnancy
- Routine or physical examination
Further, your doctor may also recommend a urine routine test if you have diabetes, a kidney abnormality, a UTI (urinary tract infection), etc.
Preparation for routine urine analysis
You do not need to prepare yourself for it. All you have to do is inform the doctor about the list of medications and vitamin supplements that you consume on a daily basis, for this may have implications on your urine routine examination results.
Process of urine testing by lab technicians
The urine undergoes analysis by lab technicians in three major ways:
- Dipstick test
This test is conducted using a plastic stick with a set of chemicals posted on it. The instrument is called a dipstick, and it helps check for irregularities in the urine. It is an effective instrument utilised for analysing the urine for a farrago of substances that includes:
- Protein volume: Your body requires sufficient amounts of protein after the waste is removed from your blood.
- Sugar content: a high volume of sugar is a clear indication of diabetes in adults.
- Number of components in your urine
- Count of Ketones
- Blood concentration
- Bilirubin volume: This is a waste product that ought to be removed from your blood.
- Acidity: If the acid volume is above normal, it indicates the presence of kidney stones.
- Visual exam
The visual exam of urine is essential in evaluating any infection or serious illness associated with kidney function. Here are some symptoms and their probabilities:
- A cloudy urine is indicative of an underlying infection.
- A reddish tinge of colour in the urine is a representation of blood in it.
- Microscopic exam
During the microscopic examination, a couple of drops of urine are taken by lab technicians for close scrutiny. If he or she notices the abnormal range of any of the following components, you may need to sign up for further tests in addition to the one already performed:
- Urine crystals, which are a cluster of minerals in your urine (a kidney stone),
- Red blood cell (RBC) count
- White blood cell (WBC) count
- Casts in the urine (symbolic of a kidney deformity)
- Bacteria or yeast growth
A detailed report will be provided in the hands of your primary health care provider, which can be studied to understand the cause of these abnormalities.
Medicines that cause errors in your urine test report
Following is a list of medicines that can lead to a wrong reading on the report of your urine routine test:
- Metronidazole
- Nitrofurantoin
- Riboflavin
- Methocarbamol
Some other drugs are also reported to induce errors in urine testing.
Urine routine examination in a nutshell
- It is indisputably one of the most commonly ordered tests in hospitals.
- It involves a group of examination procedures like physical examination, chemical examination, and microscopic-level examination that evaluate your urine.
- It aids in analysing the overall health of an individual and also helps in identifying diseases like poorly managed diabetes, urinary tract infections, kidney disorders, and the like.
- Tests are done before a surgery for screening the drug volume.
- Pregnant women also take routine urine tests when they come for routine check-ups.
- In a urine routine checkup, the primary healthcare provider takes note of its color, appearance, contents, and even the minute findings.
Final Overview
It is essential to know the changes happening in our body. An annual urine test will help you figure out your entire health profile. Therefore, make it a priority to go for it at least once a year to keep track of your health status. Be sure to seek assistance from expert professionals to avail more information about this topic.