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Urine pH can indicate overall health and reveal health problems such as kidney stones, infections, and kidney problems. Alkaline urine can be caused by kidney failure, while acidic urine can be caused by diarrhea, COPD, or certain medications. A urine pH test can prevent kidney stones and increase medication effectiveness. A balanced diet should be consumed before the test, and urine samples should not be taken upon waking.
Urine pH can be an important indicator of overall health and tests can be used to reveal a variety of health problems. Some of the problems that can indicate unusually high or low urine pH values include urinary tract infections, kidney problems, and a tendency to kidney stones. Abnormal urine pH values can also be caused by a vegetarian diet, starvation, dehydration, and some medications. In addition to indicating health problems, urine pH is helpful in determining the effectiveness of certain medications. Doctors may order a urine pH test before prescribing drugs that are more effective within a certain pH range.
Typically, urine pH values range from 4.6 to 8.0. A pH value of 7.0 is considered neutral, while higher values indicate alkaline urine and lower values indicate acidic urine. Urine that is alkaline or acidic can serve as an insight into certain things going on inside the body.
Alkaline urine can be caused by kidney failure, vomiting, or a urinary tract infection. It can also indicate that the kidneys are not properly removing acids from the urine, a condition known as proximal renal tubular acidosis. Having alkaline urine, however, doesn’t always indicate a serious health problem. It could simply be a reflection of a vegetarian diet or taking alkalizing medications, such as potassium citrate, acetazolamide, and baking soda.
Acidic urine can be the result of diarrhea, diabetic ketoacidosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or hunger. It can also be caused by certain medications, such as the chlorothiazide diuretics, ammonium chloride, and methenamine mandelate. Diets high in meat or blueberries can also lower urine pH enough to make it acidic.
Both alkaline and acidic urine could indicate a predisposition to kidney stones. Stones of xanthine, cystine, uric acid, and calcium oxalate tend to form in acidic urine, while stones of calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, and magnesium phosphate tend to form in alkaline urine. A urine pH test is a useful tool for preventing kidney stones. If a test reveals that a person is at risk, a special diet may be prescribed to change the pH of their urine.
Bringing health problems to attention, increasing the effectiveness of medications, and preventing kidney stones are all benefits that can come from a urine pH test. To prepare for a urine pH test, a person should usually avoid taking drugs or eating excessive amounts of certain foods that could skew the results. A balanced diet should typically be consumed from a variety of sources.
Also, a person should avoid giving a urine sample shortly after waking up. Breathing decreases during sleep, thus causing respiratory acidosis. This, in turn, causes urine samples taken upon waking to be highly acidic.
