3 Conditions Your Doctor Can Detect Through Urinalysis

Urine is a by-product of metabolism. Urination allows your body to eliminate unwanted salt and water and potentially toxic chemicals like urea. Because urine has a lot of details about your health, you should undergo a urinalysis from the Comprehensive Care Clinic. Also called a urine test, urinalysis involves collecting a urine sample. Your doctor then examines the urine concentration, appearance, and composition.

For instance, urine often contains urea, chloride, sodium, creatinine, water, ammonium, protein, and potassium. Urine also contains other ions in significantly smaller quantities. Your doctor will check the urine pH level and whether the chemicals are within the normal, healthy range.

Below are conditions that your doctor can detect through a urine test or urinalysis.

1. Kidney disease

A disease that affects your kidneys makes these filtration organs unable to expel toxic substances from your blood. If your blood has unhealthy levels of dangerous chemicals, it can lead to nerve damage, anemia, and high blood pressure.

High blood pressure can cause the rupturing or closing of the arteries supplying blood to your brain. As a result, you may have a stroke.

Higher than normal levels of proteins in the urine often indicate your kidney has a problem. But your doctor will need to perform further tests. That is because the higher concentration of proteins in urine can also be due to other issues like dehydration.

2. Diabetes

The sugar buildup in your bloodstream will gradually destroy blood vessels and nerves. Common diabetes risk factors include a sedentary lifestyle, hormonal imbalance, and obesity.

For instance, if you are obese, the excess weight can make your stressed cells less responsive to insulin effects. That especially happens when you are pregnant and can cause high blood sugar levels.

A urine test or urinalysis can measure the quantity of glucose or sugar in your urine. If the glucose level is higher than normal, there is a real chance you have diabetes. Furthermore, a urine test can also indicate if you have diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

DKA is a severe complication of diabetes that can be dangerous to your life. It develops because your body lacks sufficient insulin to take blood glucose into cells to be converted into energy. As a result, the body increasingly relies on ketones for making energy. If you have DKA, your urine will have an abnormal level of ketones.

3. Bile duct or liver problem

Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment your body releases due to the breakdown of unwanted red blood cells. The yellowish substance is usually in bile, a fluid your liver makes and releases to aid digestion.

A urine test can detect bilirubin in your urine. Bilirubin usually makes your urine have an orange or dark yellow color. It is an unusual occurrence to find bilirubin in the urine. That is why a test that detects bilirubin in the urine may be the best indication you have a gallbladder or liver problem.

A urine analysis can also show if you have a urinary tract inflammation or infection, bladder cancer, or a blood disorder. Contact your doctor to learn how you can benefit from a urinalysis.