A urine analysis is part of routine lab investigations that can assess different aspects of your health. Our healthcare providers at Dearborn Center often advise you to take a urine test for screening purposes, to diagnose urinary tract infections, or to monitor certain health conditions.
What Is A Urine Test, Dearborn?
Also known as urine analysis, a urine test examines the urine sample from a visual, chemical, and microscopic point of view.
It also encompasses several tests that detect and measure various compounds that pass through the urine.
Healthcare providers at our Dearborn Center often advise you a urine test to screen for or monitor certain health conditions, such as:
- ○ Urinary tract infections
- ○ Diabetes mellitus
- ○ Kidney disease
- ○ Liver disease
With a single urine sample, several aspects of your health can be tested.
Your healthcare provider selects which tests to order depending on your symptoms and health status.
What Does A Urine Test Include?
Depending on your unique situation and health condition, our doctors at the Dearborn Center order your urine test as a part of our lab investigations. Generally, a laboratory technician examines urine in a urine test for the following aspects:
- Color and appearance
- Chemical findings
- Microscopic findings
1. Understanding Urine Color & Appearance:
This includes the naked-eye appearance of a urine test sample. They check if it is normal in appearance (light yellow) color or abnormally dark yellow, pale, or of any other color. Normal urine color may range from pale yellow to deep amber depending upon its concentration.
Many things can affect urine color, including foods you eat such as beets, supplements, and medications. An unusual urine color can also be a sign of a disease.
For example,
- red-colored urine indicates the presence of blood in urine as a result of some disease damaging your urinary system.
- Cloudy urine may be normal to some extent, as skin cells, sperm or dehydration may make urine somewhat cloudy. Some diseases that bring bacteria and white blood cells into the urine may also make it cloudy. These include:
- ○ Urinary tract infections (UTI)
- ○ Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- ○ Kidney stones
- ○ Diabetes
2. Urine Chemical Findings:
For chemical aspects of the urine test examination, your doctor or lab technician uses special urine test strips called dipsticks to detect chemical substances in the urine test sample. These strips have chemical pads that change color when they come in contact with specific substances. Depending on the amount of substance, a different degree of color change occurs.
Common types of dipstick tests are used to detect:
- ○ Urinary Proteins
- ○ Urine pH
- ○ Ketones
- ○ Glucose
- ○ Bilirubin
- ○ Nitrite
- ○ Leukocyte esterase
- ○ Urine specific gravity
3. Urine Microscopic Findings:
A lab technician examines urine under a microscope to find the following in the urine:
- ○ Cells and cell fragments
- ○ Urinary casts
- ○ Mucus
- ○ Bacteria
- ○ Crystals
When Do You Need A Urine Test?
Our doctors at our Dearborn Center can order your urine test for several reasons, such as:
- ○ As a part of your routine medical examination to screen for early signs of some health conditions.
- ○ If you are experiencing symptoms and signs of certain diseases like diabetes or kidney disease.
- ○ For monitoring the effectiveness of treatment and disease control in diabetes or kidney disease.
- ○ To diagnose UTIs.
- ○ For a preparatory checkup before undergoing any surgery.
If you have any health condition or want to screen yourself, visit our Dearborn Center and get your routine urine test advised by our doctors. We provide cost-effective and first-rate medical care without making you wait for hours.