Urinalysis (cont.)

Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Macroscopic Urinalysis

The term macroscopic refers to observations that are visible with the naked eye and do not require examination under a microscope. Macroscopic analysis of the urine is done by inspecting the physical appearance of the urine. Normal urine is light yellow and clear. Macroscopic urinalysis notes the amount, color, clarity, and cloudiness of the urine as well as any other visible characteristics of the urine such as the presence of blood or blood clots, precipitates, or sediments.

The information from the macroscopic urinalysis may provide important clues to the health care practitioner performing the test. A normal urine sample may be reported as clear and yellow without any cloudiness.

Obvious abnormalities in color, clarity, and cloudiness may suggest conditions such as:
- dehydration,
- infection,
- liver disease, or
- muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis).
Certain medications may change the color of urine.
Visible blood in the urine (gross hematuria) may suggest a kidney stone or a bladder disease.
Foamy urine may indicate the presence of protein in the urine (proteinuria) due to certain kidney conditions that spill protein out of the kidney from circulating blood (nephrotic syndrome).

glucose (sugar) in the urine,

ketone in the urine (metabolic waste product),

blood in the urine (detected as hemoglobin in the urine), l

eukocyte esterase (suggests white blood cell in the urine),

nitrites (indicated evidence of any bacteria in the urine),

bilirubin, and

urobilinogen in the urine (related to an elevated bilirubin level, denoting possible liver disease or red blood cell breakdown in the body).

The color change in each of the squares signifies a specific abnormality found in the urine represented by that specific color. If there are no abnormalities in the urine, the squares maintain their original color. The changes in color may take from a few seconds up to a couple of minutes to occur. The interpretation of the urinalysis by a dipstick is simply done by comparing the colors on the stick to the reference color changes that are readily available on the dipstick box.

Next Page:
Urine Dipstick Chemical Analysis»

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Glossary
Urinalysis Topic Guide

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Urinalysis - Diagnosis

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