Urinalysis

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

Learn More

• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

A urinalysis is a test of your urine. It is often done to check for a urinary tract infection, kidney problems, or diabetes. You may also have one during a checkup, if you are admitted to the hospital, before you have surgery, or if you are pregnant. It can also monitor some medical conditions and treatments.

A urinalysis involves checking the urine for:

• Its color
• Its appearance (whether it is clear or cloudy)
• Any odor
• The pH level (acidity)
• Whether there are substances that are not normally in urine, such as blood, too much protein, glucose, ketones, and bilirubin
• Whether there are cells, crystals, and casts (tube-shaped proteins)
• Whether it contains bacteria or other germs

Start Here

• Urinalysis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Epithelial Cells in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Mucus in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Bacteria Culture Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Bilirubin in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Blood in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Crystals in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Foamy Urine: What Does It Mean? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Nitrites in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Protein in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Urine Color (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Urine Odor (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Urobilinogen in Urine (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Getting a Urine Test (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urinalysis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Evaluation and randomised controlled trial of home urinalysis testing in patients...
• Article: Evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)...
• Article: Investigating urinary characteristics and optimal urine white blood cell threshold in...
• Urinalysis -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Blood in the Urine (Hematuria) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Urine Test: Dipstick (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Urine Tests (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

• Blood in the Urine (Hematuria) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Bilirubin - urine (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Clean catch urine sample (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Glucose urine test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ketones urine test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• RBC urine test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urinalysis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urine odor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urine pH test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urine protein dipstick test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urine specific gravity test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish