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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffUrinalysis is a test that evaluates a sample of your urine. Urinalysis is used to detect and assess a wide range of disorders, including urinary tract infection, kidney disease and diabetes.
Urinalysis involves examining 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.
Abnormal results of a urinalysis often require additional testing and further evaluation to uncover the source of the problem.
References
- What you need to know about urinalysis. National Kidney Foundation. www.kidney.org. Accessed Dec. 5, 2010.
- Wu X. Urinalysis: A review of methods and procedures. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America. 2010;22(1):121.
- Echeverry G, et al. Introduction to urinalysis: Historical perspectives and clinical application. Methods in Molecular Biology. 2010;641:1.
- Ferri FF. Laboratory Tests and Interpretation of Results. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..C2009-0-38600-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&about=true&uniqId=230100505-53. Accessed Dec. 10, 2010.
- Meng MV, et al. Urologic Disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2011. 50th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=1. Accessed Dec. 10, 2010.
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