How to tell urinary tract infection from urine routine test

A routine urine test can help you understand whether you are affected by a urinary tract infection, because we will find that both men and women are prone to urinary tract infections in life nowadays, which will have a greater impact on reproductive health. Therefore, only by paying attention to scientific examinations and learning to read the test results can you know whether you are affected by these diseases.

1. Check urine volume

Under normal circumstances, a normal adult urinates 0.8 to 2.0 liters per day (24 hours). However, the amount of water you drink, exercise, sweating, and temperature can all affect urine volume. A daily urine volume of >2500 ml is polyuria, <400 ml is oliguria, <100 ml or complete anuria within 12 hours is urinary retention, and a nocturnal urine volume of >500 ml and a urine specific gravity of <1.018 is increased nocturnal urine volume.

2. Check urine color

Normal urine is light yellow to yellowish brown and is often affected by diet, exercise, sweating, etc.

Patients with diabetes insipidus, diabetes, etc. have almost colorless urine during polyuria; in hepatocellular jaundice and obstructive jaundice, the urine is orange-yellow or dark yellow, which is bilirubinuria. However, if riboflavin, vitamin B complex, or furan drugs are taken, the urine may also be dark yellow, which should be distinguished from the above-mentioned bilirubinuria; hematuria occurs in urinary system tumors, stones, tuberculosis or trauma and acute inflammation (such as acute cystitis), and the appearance is red. A large number of red blood cells can be seen under the microscope. When a large number of white blood cells, microorganisms, epithelial cells, or a large amount of amorphous phosphates and urates appear in the urine, the urine becomes milky. In addition, urine of other colors such as soy sauce color, red wine color, and dark brown may also be seen. After excluding the influence of drugs, it is recommended to go to the hospital for further examination.

3. Check the transparency of urine

Fresh urine is clear and transparent without any sediment. After being left for a period of time, flocculent precipitation may appear, especially in female urine.

The urine becomes turbid when it is excreted, which is often caused by white blood cells, epithelial cells, mucus, microorganisms, etc., and requires microscopic examination for identification. In a small number of patients, amorphous phosphates precipitate in the urine, which also makes the urine turbid, but has no clinical significance.

4. Check the specific gravity of urine

The specific gravity of normal people's 24-hour urine is around 1.015. It often fluctuates between 1.010 and 1.025, affected by diet, exercise, sweating, etc. The fluctuation range of random urine specific gravity is 1.005 to 1.030. When the specific gravity of 24-hour mixed urine increases, it is seen in high fever dehydration, acute glomerulonephritis, and heart failure. Proteinuria and urine specific gravity of diabetic patients also increase. A decrease in the specific gravity of 24-hour mixed urine is seen in cases of decreased renal concentrating function, such as diabetes insipidus and chronic nephritis. When measuring any random urine, if there is no protein and sugar in the urine, and the specific gravity is ≥1.025, it means that the kidney's concentration function is normal, and the specific gravity is ≤1.005, it means that the kidney's dilution function is normal. If it is fixed at around 1.010, it is called isotonic urine. It is caused by damage to the renal parenchyma and reduced renal concentration and dilution functions.