Urinary
This test is part of a routine medical work-up of patients and is always done as a clean catch midstream specimen and then analyzed within 1-2 hours.
Random, 24 hour and first morning tests have been used in one form or another for many centuries. The kidneys convert 180L of glomerular filtrate into 600-1800ml of urine. Roughly 99% of the initial ultrafiltrate is reabsorbed. Testing is done via dipstick and microscope to determine renal pathology, liver damage and cholestasis, vaginal infection, proteinuria, hematuria, glucosuria, starvation, fever, organisms such as E. coli, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, and STD’s arising from Klebsiella, Pseudomonas proteus. It does not determine Chlamydia or Neisseria species.
The first morning urine sample is the ideal sample to test as it is the most concentrated and the most acidic which preserves the cells and casts in the urine.
A 24 hour urine test may be used to:
- determine urinary chloride levels in the case of monitoring a patient with hypertension,
- to identify people who are ingesting large amounts of salt,
- to determine if chronic kidney disorders exist,
- to determine if a person is hypotensive or has a condition associated with hypotension.