BI 233 - Urinalysis Lab

Color and transparency in the urine will vary from ___

almost colorless to deep amber (depending on hydration) due to urochrome pigment (from erythrocyte breakdown)

What are urochrome pigments?

pigments from erythrocyte breakdown

What other factors can have an influence on urine color?

food, vitamins, medication, blood, and bile

Urine odor is distinct but not repellent. Why does our urine even have a smell?

bacteria begins to multiply in our urine, urine also smell of ammonia. Other foods can also play a role in how our urine smells

If your urine smells rotten what could that mean?

you might have a urinary tract infection

A mousy (musty) smell of the urine could mean what?

you have phenylketonuria

Urine is acidic as ___

metabolic acids is constantly generated by the body and gets eliminated

High protein diet can decrease ___

urine pH

Vegetarian diet can increase ____

urine pH

Bacterial infections can cause ____

urine pH to increase

Glycosuria is ___

glucose in the urine

What can be the cause of glycosuria?

untreated diabetes mellitus and other conditions

Albuminuria/proteinuria is ____

presence of albumin in the urine

Albumin in the urine can indicate what?

kidney disease, as normal urine doesn't have albumin present

Albumin can potentially be filtered due to ___

its small size

Nonpathological causes of albuminuria/proteinuria are ____

too much salt in the diet, causing damage to podocytes. Or, acute kidney injury

Pathological causes of albuminuria/proteinuria are ____

untreated diabetes (especially type I), kidney disease, kidney damage, and high blood pressure

Ketonuria is ___

the presence of ketone bodies in the urine

Ketones are consistently produced in the body when fats are ____

broken down for energy (burning fat to make ATP)

Ketogenesis produces acetone, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate molecules (which are collective called "ketones") by ___

breaking down fatty acids

Ketones are acidic, so having too much of them in our blood can lead to ___

ketoacidosis

Nonpathological causes of ketonuria are ____

aftermath of high intensity exercise (increase ketone in blood) and low carbohydrate diet (increase ketone in urine)

Pathological causes of ketonuria are _____

undiagnosed or poorly managed diabetes, anorexia, and starvation

Hematuria is ____

presence of blood in the urine

Causes of hematuria are ___

acute kidney injury, UTI, and kidney stones

Hemoglobinuria is _____

presence of hemoglobin in urine

Causes for hemoglobinuria are ____

burns, crushing injury, hemolytic uremic syndrome, kidney infection or inflammation, kidney tumor, malaria, paroxysmal cold & nocturnal hemoglobinuria, thalassemia, tuberculosis, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and transfusion reaction

Nitrites in urine could indicate what?

a bacteria infection

Many bacteria can change the nitrates that normally occur in urine to nitrites, which makes a nice indicator for what?

bacteria infection

Bilirubinuria is ___

presence of bile pigments in urine

Bilirubinuria can indicate what disease?

liver disease or biliary disease

Pyuria is ___

the presence of white blood cells in the urine

Pyuria can indicate ____

inflammation in the urinary tract

Acute pyuria can often indicate ___

a UTI

What can cause pyuria?

neurogenic bladder dysfunction, interstitial nephritis, renal stone disease, and more

Casts are tubular, clear, gel-like structures produced by _____

the distal convoluted tubule and collecting duct, and excreted in urine

The most common casts in the urine are ___

hyaline casts - other types simply have substances attached to hyaline casts

Hyaline casts – most common, in small numbers they are normal, they form the ____

base of all other casts. Made from a glycoprotein that's on the cell surface of the ascending limb of the nephron tube. Can indicate pathology.

Granular casts – several types (all more cloudy than hyaline) can indicate ____

dehydration, recent strenuous exercise, chronic renal disease, or acute tubular necrosis

Red blood cell casts – red blood cells within the _____

cast (yellow-brown) and indicate pathology

White blood cell casts – white blood cells in ___

casts, indicates infection (often kidney)

To test the values of glucose, bilirubin, ketone, specific gravity, blood, pH, protein, nitrite, and leukocytes. What test did we do?

the dipstick analysis

What tool did we use to measure the specific gravity?

the refractometer

What does the urine smell like if a diabetic is suffering from ketoacidosis?

fruity

The most important nitrogenous wastes to enter the urine are urea, uric acid, and creatinine. Where does each come from?