General Urine Test: What It Shows and What Types of Tests Exist

A general urine test is a laboratory test that shows how the kidneys and urinary tract are working. It is ordered both for prevention and when symptoms have already appeared. Below is what the laboratory examines, how the types of tests differ from each other, and how to read the numbers in the report.

What a general urine test is and what it is for

This is a physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. In the laboratory, substances that pass through the urine are measured, color and transparency are assessed, and the sediment is examined under a microscope.

The test is ordered as part of a routine medical checkup to catch early signs of disease. It is also done when diabetes or kidney disease is suspected, during treatment of these conditions for monitoring, when looking for blood in the urine, and to diagnose a urinary tract infection. The procedure is normal urination, without pain and without risk.

Urine is collected in a clean container: this is a midstream sample of morning urine or a 24-hour collection. A sterile container is obtained from a pharmacy and the sample is delivered within an hour and a half. Frozen urine is retested. Some medications change the color of urine, but this is not a sign of disease; medications are reported to the doctor in advance.

What types of urine tests exist

• General, also known as clinical urine analysis — organoleptic properties, chemistry, and sediment microscopy together.
• Urine test with sediment microscopy — focus on cells, casts, crystals, and bacteria.
• Biochemical urine analysis — measurement of specific substances, such as protein or glucose.
• 24-hour urine collection — a 24-hour collection, at the doctor's request.
• Microbiological examination — detection of bacteria and other microorganisms.

What is assessed in a general test: physical and chemical properties

Normal color ranges from almost colorless to dark yellow. Beetroot can make urine red, and it is dark brown in jaundice. Transparency is described separately: urine is either clear or cloudy. An acetone odor occurs with ketonuria, an ammonia odor with cystitis, and persistent abundant foam with protein.

The chemical part is done with a test strip: its reagents change color on contact with a substance. This is how blood, glucose, protein, ketones, bilirubin, nitrites, hemoglobin, and leukocytes are checked. Normally, glucose, ketones, protein, and bilirubin are not found in urine; hemoglobin, nitrites, red blood cells, and leukocytes are also normally absent. pH and relative density are measured separately.

Urine color is changed by chloroquine, iron preparations, levodopa, nitrofurantoin, phenazopyridine, phenothiazine, phenytoin, riboflavin, and triamterene. Daily urine output with a normal diet is 1.5–2 liters, which is 70–80% of fluid intake. Oliguria is little urine per day, and anuria is its almost complete cessation.

Microscopy of urine sediment

The sediment is examined under a microscope: cells, crystals, casts, mucus, and other inclusions are sought, and bacteria and other microorganisms are examined separately.

Biochemical urine analysis

Here specific substances are measured. An example is protein: a test strip detects all proteins, including albumin. Normal values differ for a random sample and a 24-hour collection. If protein is higher, the causes vary: heart failure, kidney damage, diabetic kidney disease, kidney cysts, dehydration, multiple myeloma, problems during pregnancy (eclampsia, preeclampsia), a tumor or bladder infection. The result is distorted by dehydration, contrast material after an examination in the previous 3 days, vaginal discharge, intense physical exertion, and urinary tract infection. A microalbumin test detects small amounts of albumin that a strip does not see.

What abnormalities mean and when to see a doctor

Abnormalities occur with kidney disease, urinary tract infection, kidney stones, poorly controlled diabetes, bladder or kidney cancer. Normal ranges vary slightly by laboratory, so the numbers in the report are discussed with a doctor rather than compared with someone else's. Results and further steps are discussed with a doctor.

A test result by itself is not a reason to call an ambulance. Call 103 or 112 if urine has stopped passing completely or urination is impossible due to blockage of the urinary tract by a stone or tumor.

This material is for reference: it explains the report but does not replace a doctor's consultation.

This content is for reference and does not replace a doctor's consultation. Medical disclaimer