What Diseases Can Be Detected From Micro Urinalysis

The kidneys are the organs in charge of filtering out water-soluble waste products and toxins from the blood. The urinalysis is a simple test used in diagnosing diseases of the urinary tract and the kidneys as well as other parts of the body.

Urine

• Urine is a complex solution made up of water, waste products, and toxins from the body. Because the kidneys filter blood that has been all over the body, testing the urine for different chemicals and microscopic components may yield some interesting results.

Metabolic Disorders

• Abnormal levels of chemicals like glucose and other sugars may indicate an increased level of these chemicals in the blood. Metabolic disorders such as diabetes and galactosuria cause increased levels of glucose and galactose, respectively.

Microbial infections

• Microscopic examination of the urine allows the lab technician to detect bacteria and other microbial organisms that are only found in the urine in cases of infection. The organisms may come from as far upstream as the kidneys or closer to the end of the urinary tract.

Kidney failure

• Kidneys filter the blood at a slower rate when they begin to fail from disease. This causes a build up in protein within the tubules of the kidney. The protein is seen under the microscope as cylinders of translucent protein called "casts." Casts sometimes may have bacteria or cells stuck within them.

Other infections

• Some infections that happen away from the kidneys may still be detected when the organisms causing the infection are detected in the urine of the infected person. In fact, urine is a preferred test for testing for Legionnaires' Disease, a type of pneumonia.