Urinalysis is a common medical test that can detect various health conditions, including pregnancy, drug use, diabetes, kidney disease, and infections. The test examines the color, clarity, specific gravity, and microscopic formations of urine. Urine test strips and microscope analysis are used for quick results, while more accurate tests involving blood or hair samples are recommended for drug screening.
Whenever a doctor orders a urine sample from a patient, the collected urine is often sent directly to a laboratory for a procedure called urinalysis. Depending on your doctor’s orders, the lab technician will look at everything from color and temperature to the most microscopic formations of crystals or blood cells. Urinalysis may detect pregnancy, recreational drug use, diabetes, kidney disease, or evidence of infection elsewhere.
One of the first things a lab technician will check for during urine analysis is color. Normal urine should be pale yellow to amber in color, but anything closer to the red spectrum can be a warning sign. The discoloration can only be caused by eating red beets or ingesting food dyes, but it can also be related to excessive loss of red blood cells. Cloudiness may indicate crystal formation or an infection. Dark yellow or orange colored urine is usually a sign of extreme dehydration.
After the color and clarity have been noted, another urinalysis test can measure the specific gravity. Simply put, this would be the relative “thickness” of the urine sample. Normal urine is only slightly denser than pure water due to the additional minerals and cellular tissue dissolved in it. If the urinalysis reveals a significantly higher specific gravity, the patient may have excessive glucose levels. This could indicate a blood sugar imbalance that requires immediate medical attention.
Most of us only encounter urinalysis during job selections or routine physical exams. A home pregnancy test can also be considered a form of urinalysis, as the user’s urine is checked for a reaction to chemicals. If urine samples need to be checked in bulk or a quick yes/no test is needed, the technician can use urine test strips. Each urinalysis dipstick contains a specific chemical or a combination of chemicals. The stick is dipped in the urine, causing a chemical reaction that may or may not change the color. A positive or negative result can be seen within minutes of testing.
Some urinalysis is done under a microscope, because individual cells or crystalline formations may be too small to detect. A centrifuge can be used to separate solid materials from liquid. These results could reveal the presence of kidney stones, scattered cancer cells, or other chronic conditions.
The use of urinalysis for job selections has been controversial for many years. The test is primarily used to detect recreational drug use, not other potential health problems. Many illegal and prescription drugs can remain in your urine for a few days, resulting in a positive reading and difficulty in taking it.
But urinalysis techniques can’t always discriminate between ingesting illegal drugs and ingesting a poppy seed muffin or over-the-counter medication. There is always the possibility of a “false positive” when using a rapid dipstick urinalysis. Some have argued that a urinalysis system for drug screening shouldn’t be the sole criterion for determining job eligibility. Positive results should be directed to more accurate tests involving blood or hair samples.
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