Urinalysis, Complete (With Microscopy)

The 28 tests in this panel

What each one measures and the range labs usually print for adults. Ranges differ a little between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against.

• Urine Color

  The color of your urine, noted on a urinalysis. Pale to dark yellow is usual, and foods, vitamins and medicines can change it.

• Urine Appearance (Clarity)

  How clear your urine looks to the eye. Cloudiness is common and often harmless, so labs read it together with the dipstick and microscope results.

• Urine Specific Gravity

  How concentrated your urine is compared with plain water. It mostly reflects how much fluid you've had and how well your kidneys balance water.

  Adults

  1.005–1.03 SG

• Urine pH

  Shows how acidic or alkaline your urine is. It moves with diet and some medicines, and it is not the same as your blood pH.

  Adults

  5–7.5 pH

• Urine Protein (Dipstick)

  A strip test that gives a rough estimate of the protein in your urine, reported as negative, trace, or 1+ to 4+.

• Urine Glucose (Dipstick)

  A dipstick check for sugar in your urine. Healthy kidneys keep almost all glucose out of urine, so the usual result is negative.

• Urine Ketones (Dipstick)

  A dipstick check for ketones, which your body makes when it burns fat for energy. Fasting, low-carb eating and illness can all raise it.

• Urine Bilirubin (Dipstick)

  A dipstick test for bilirubin, a yellow pigment from old red blood cells. Urine normally has none, so the usual result is negative.

• Urine Urobilinogen (Dipstick)

  A byproduct of bilirubin that normally shows up in small amounts in urine. A dipstick gives a rough check of it as part of a urinalysis.

  Adults

  up to 1 mg/dL

• Urine Blood (Dipstick)

  A dipstick check for blood in your urine. It reacts to red blood cells, hemoglobin and myoglobin, so a positive result is usually followed by a microscope check.

• Urine Leukocyte Esterase (Dipstick)

  A dipstick check for an enzyme from white blood cells. A positive result can be a sign of inflammation in the urinary tract, such as a UTI.

• Urine Nitrite (Dipstick)

  Checks for nitrite, a chemical some urinary bacteria make. A positive result can be an early clue to a urinary tract infection.

• Urine White Blood Cells (WBC)

  The number of white blood cells seen in a urine sample under a microscope. A few are common. More can be a sign of infection or irritation in the urinary tract.

  Adults

  0–5 /HPF

• Urine Red Blood Cells (RBC)

  Counts red blood cells in your urine under a microscope or analyzer, per high-power field (HPF). A few can be usual.

  18+

  0–2 /HPF

• Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells

  A count of flat skin-type cells in a urine sample. A few are common. Many usually mean the sample picked up cells from the skin around the urethra.

  Adults

  0–5 /HPF

• Urine Transitional (Urothelial) Epithelial Cells

  A count of cells shed from the lining of your bladder and urinary tract. A few are normal.

• Urine Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells

  A count of kidney tubule cells in urine, where none seen is the usual result and more can mean the tubules are irritated or injured.

• Urine Bacteria

  A microscope count of how many bacteria are in your urine. A few can just be contamination, and a urine culture is the test that identifies which bacteria are present.

• Urine Yeast

  Whether yeast cells are seen in a urine sample under the microscope. It is often contamination from the skin or genital area, but it can matter in some people.

• Urine Mucus

  A rating of how much mucus is seen when urine is looked at under a microscope. Small to moderate amounts are the usual finding.

• Urine Hyaline Casts

  A count of hyaline casts, tiny protein tubes in urine that are often harmless, especially after exercise or when you are dehydrated.

  Adults

  up to 0 /LPF

• Urine Granular Casts

  A count of granular casts, tiny tube-shaped particles in urine that can form when kidney cells or protein break down.

  Adults

  up to 0 /LPF

• Urine Casts (Other / Unspecified)

  Casts are tiny tube-shaped particles that can show up in urine. This entry covers casts reported without a type; 'none seen' is the usual result.

• Urine Calcium Oxalate Crystals

  Whether calcium oxalate crystals were seen when your urine was looked at under a microscope. A few are common and often harmless.

• Urine Uric Acid Crystals

  Whether uric acid crystals show up in a urine sample. They are common in acidic or concentrated urine and are often harmless.

• Urine Triple Phosphate (Struvite) Crystals

  Whether colorless, coffin-lid-shaped struvite crystals show up in a urine sample. They can be harmless, but are linked to alkaline urine and some urinary infections.

• Urine Amorphous Sediment

  Tiny shapeless grains seen in urine under the microscope. They are often harmless and commonly form as a sample cools.

• Urine Bile Salts

  A traditional bedside urine test for bile salts, reported as present or absent. It is not part of routine urinalysis at large US labs and is not very reliable on its own.

Labs can include one more test in this panel that we haven’t written up yet.