Ward's Urinalysis

What does urine color depend on?

Urochrome

Pale yellow urine

indicates diabetes insipidus or dilute urine

Milky urine

indicates presence of pus or fat; infection

Red urine

blood, drugs/medications, or beet pigments

Green urine

bile pigment (jaundice)

Brown/black urine

pheno/metal poisoning, renal injury, or malaria

Urine with ammonia odor

food-related

Urine with fishy odor

cystits (bladder inflammation)

Urine with fecal odor

intestinal/urinary fistula

Urine with sweet/fruity odor

diabetes

Urine with overripe apple odor

acetonuria

Normal pH of urine

4.5 -8.0

Consequences of low urine pH

fever, acidosis

Consequences of high pH

vomiting, anemia, and urine retention (ischuria)

Specific gravity of urine

1.015-1.025

Low specific gravity

indicates nephritis

High specific gravity

indicates diabetes mellitus

What are casts

cylindrical molds formed in renal tubules

When are casts formed

when there is high protein in tubules, high acidity, and high concentration

What do RBC casts indicate

renal disease (glomerulonephritis)

Alkaline urine crystals

calcium phosphate, triple phosphate, calcium carbonate; indicates kidnet stones and UTIS

Acidic urine crystals

calcium oxalate, uric acid, hippuric acid: indicate gout, leukemia, and diabetes

What do WBC casts indicate

infection

What do hyaline casts indicate

normal or dehydration

Which substance is NOT secreted into the filtrate and leaves the body

albumin

what does pH measure

concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution

relationship between pH and acidity

inversely related

strong acid

an acid that completely dissociates in water and releases all of its’ hydrogen ions

weak acid

partially dissociates in water and releases some of its’ hydrogen ions

strong base

completely dissociates in water and releases all of its’ hydroxide ions

weak base

partially dissociates in water and releases some of its’ hydroxide ions

normal physiological range of pH for blood and interstitial fluids

7.35 to 7.45

normal color of urine

pale yellow to amber

normal clarity of urine

clear not cloudy

normal odor of urine

mild odor

normal volume of urine

output is 1-2 liters

chemical composition of urine

contains urea, creatinine, uric acid, sodium, potassium, and chloride

glucose in urine

can indicate diabetes mellitus

protein in urine

can indicate kidney disease or damage

blood in urine

can result from infection

ketones in urine

seen in starvation

bacteria in urine

can suggest a UTI