7 Different Types of Urine Tests
Urine tests are helpful to detect diseases or any infections of the urinary system. Not only that it helps determine other diseases like diabetes or other liver diseases as well. The color, odor as well as amount of urine can indicate if something is wrong with your body. These test strips are used by a majority to test their urine to measure calcium, glucose, proteins, acid, sugar levels, and many more things. Other strips that are in common use by women are pregnancy test strips. These strips are strips of hope that also use urine to determine the pregnancy.
There are many different kinds of tests. To know about each in detail, read further.
1. Red Blood Cell Urine Test:
Red Blood Cells in the urine indicate that there is some issue in the urinary tract. The color of urine might look pink, red, or teal color sometimes, but that is not always the case. It can be because of many other serious diseases like Cancer, kidney infections, UTIs, kidney or bladder stones, and many more. It can be because of heavy exercise or because of some medications as well.
As a patient, you just need to collect your sample and submit it to the laboratory. In the lab, it is checked under the microscope to determine the amount of Red Blood Cells. Then, accordingly, the doctor will prescribe your other tests, or if it is just an infection, then medicines can suffice.
2. Glucose Urine Test:
It measures the amount of sugar or glucose in the urine sample. After you submit the sample to the laboratory, the health care provider uses a dipstick with a color-sensitive pad. The color of the dipstick helps provide the level of glucose in your urine. Just be sure not to take any medications before taking a sample.
This test helps monitor diabetes; now, a blood test is sufficient to determine diabetes. Ideally, glucose is not found in the urine, so the normal range should be between 0 to 0.8mmol. This also helps determine high blood sugar levels or glucosuria which is caused because the kidneys reabsorb the sugar from the blood as it passes through the body.
3. Protein Urine Test:
It helps determine the amount of protein present in urine. Ideally, healthy people do not have a significant amount of proteins found in their urine. It is only when your kidneys are not working properly or when high levels of certain proteins are present in your blood.
There are protein urine test strips to help you determine the number of proteins in your urine. Collect the sample of urine and then dip the urine test strip into the sample. You need to use an absorbent material to blot the edge of the strip and then wait for 2 minutes and read the strip.
These strips show the number of glucose levels, proteins, pH levels, and many other important things as well. You need to read the squares in chronological order and ensure accurate results.
4. Urine pH Level Test:
It is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a fluid is. For a urine pH level test, you can test it on your own. You just need to buy the urine test strips and test them yourself.
To test your sample, you need to place the pH test strip in the urine stream until both the pads of the test strip are covered, then remove it. Shake it off for extra fluid and wait 15 seconds for the results. Compare color changes from the attached color chart. This test helps prevent the formation of kidney stones and helps determine many other problems.
5. Ketones Urine Test:
It helps to know the ketone levels in urine. Normally, our bodies burn glucose or sugar to produce energy. And so, if your cells don't get enough glucose, then it starts burning fats. This produces ketone.
If ketones are found in your urine, that indicates diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes that can lead you to coma and eventually death. Thus, you need to take this test very seriously.
Conclusion:
Our urines tell so much about our health that you need to take testing and analysis seriously. You need to take your sample as written in the user manual of these test strips. You also need to maintain hygiene while taking the sample and handing it over to the laboratory.
There are many other tests where testing is required, like in pregnancy test strips or for confirming diabetes and other diseases as well. There are many types of urine tests, so you need to be clear as a patient about why your urine sample is required. It helps you get a specified test, and thus you are not charged for other tests that you did not require.
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