Urine Tests
Urinalysis and urine chemistry that often appear on the same report as blood work.
59 tests explained
Most common tests
- 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 BacteriaA 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 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 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 ColorThe color of your urine, noted on a urinalysis. Pale to dark yellow is usual, and foods, vitamins and medicines can change it.
- 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 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 pHShows how acidic or alkaline your urine is. It moves with diet and some medicines, and it is not the same as your blood 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 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.
- Urine Specific GravityHow concentrated your urine is compared with plain water. It mostly reflects how much fluid you've had and how well your kidneys balance water.
- Urine Squamous Epithelial CellsA 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Common follow-up tests
- Urine Albumin (Microalbumin), RandomHow much albumin, a blood protein, is in a single urine sample. The number depends on how diluted your urine is, so it is usually read with creatinine.
- Urine Amorphous SedimentTiny shapeless grains seen in urine under the microscope. They are often harmless and commonly form as a sample cools.
- Urine Amphetamines ScreenA urine screen for amphetamine-type stimulants, including some prescription medicines. A first positive is presumptive until a second test confirms it.
- Urine Barbiturates ScreenA urine screen for barbiturates, older sedative medicines such as phenobarbital and butalbital. A first positive is presumptive until a second test confirms it.
- Urine Benzodiazepines ScreenA urine screen for benzodiazepines, a family of sedatives such as diazepam. It can miss some of them, and a positive is presumptive until confirmed.
- Urine Bile SaltsA 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.
- Urine Buprenorphine ScreenA urine test that looks for buprenorphine, a medicine used to treat opioid use disorder and pain. A positive result is expected if you take it as prescribed.
- Urine Calcium Oxalate CrystalsWhether calcium oxalate crystals were seen when your urine was looked at under a microscope. A few are common and often harmless.
- Urine Calcium-to-Creatinine RatioCalcium in one urine sample compared with creatinine, which adjusts for how dilute the urine is. It is used for stone and bone work-ups in adults and children.
- Urine Calcium, 24-HourHow much calcium your kidneys release into urine over a full day. It helps explain kidney stones and calcium or bone problems.
- Urine Calcium, RandomCalcium measured in one urine sample. It depends on how dilute your urine is, so it is usually read as a ratio to creatinine or by a 24-hour test.
- Urine Cannabinoids (THC) ScreenA urine test that looks for the main breakdown product of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. It shows past use, not whether you are impaired now.
- 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 Chloride, RandomChloride in one urine sample. Clinicians mainly use it to help work out why blood bicarbonate is high. It is not a routine test.
- Urine Cocaine Metabolite (Benzoylecgonine) ScreenA urine screen for benzoylecgonine, the main breakdown product of cocaine. It shows recent exposure, usually over the past few days.
- Urine Creatinine, 24-HourTotal creatinine in all the urine you pass over 24 hours. It mostly reflects muscle mass and helps show whether a 24-hour collection was complete.
- Urine Creatinine, RandomHow much creatinine, a muscle waste product, is in one urine sample. It shows how concentrated the urine is and is used to correct other urine results.
- Urine CultureTests whether bacteria grow from your urine and, if they do, which kind and how many. It helps your clinician judge whether an infection is likely.
- Urine Drug Screen (Panel Result)A urine test that checks for several drugs at once. A positive screen is a first look, and a second test is used to check it.
- Urine Fentanyl ScreenA urine screen for fentanyl, a very strong opioid, and norfentanyl, its main breakdown product. A positive result is presumptive until confirmed.
- Urine Granular CastsA count of granular casts, tiny tube-shaped particles in urine that can form when kidney cells or protein break down.
- Urine Hyaline CastsA count of hyaline casts, tiny protein tubes in urine that are often harmless, especially after exercise or when you are dehydrated.
- Urine MDMA (Ecstasy) ScreenA urine screen for MDMA (ecstasy or molly) and closely related drugs. A positive result is presumptive until a second test confirms it.
- Urine Methadone ScreenA urine screen for methadone, an opioid medicine used for pain and opioid use disorder, or for EDDP, its main breakdown product.
- Urine Methamphetamine ScreenA yes-or-no urine test for methamphetamine. A positive is a first-step result that can have other causes, such as medicines, and is usually confirmed with a second test.
- Urine MucusA rating of how much mucus is seen when urine is looked at under a microscope. Small to moderate amounts are the usual finding.
- Urine Opiates ScreenA yes-or-no urine test for opiates such as morphine and codeine. A positive is a first-step result and can come from prescribed medicine, poppy seed foods or some antibiotics.
- Urine OsmolalityHow concentrated your urine is, counted as dissolved particles per kilogram of water. It mostly reflects how much you have had to drink and how your kidneys and hormones balance water.
- Urine Oxycodone ScreenA yes-or-no urine test for oxycodone, a prescription opioid pain medicine. A positive is expected if you take it as prescribed, and the screen also reacts to oxymorphone.
- Urine Phencyclidine (PCP) ScreenA yes-or-no urine test for PCP (phencyclidine). A positive is a first-step result, and several common medicines can cause false positives.
- Urine Potassium, 24-HourThe total potassium that left your body in urine over 24 hours, which mostly follows how much potassium you eat.
- Urine Potassium, RandomHow much potassium is in a single urine sample, which varies with diet and urine concentration, so it is read with a blood potassium.
- Urine Renal Tubular Epithelial CellsA 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 Sodium, 24-HourThe total sodium that left your body in urine over 24 hours, which mostly follows how much sodium you eat.
- Urine Sodium, RandomHow much sodium is in a single urine sample, which swings with what you ate and drank, so clinicians read it with blood tests.
- Urine Total Protein, 24-HourThe total protein that passed into your urine over 24 hours, where healthy kidneys let only a small amount through.
- Urine Total Protein, Random (Quantitative)The amount of protein in one urine sample. Small amounts are normal, and the number shifts with how diluted your urine is.
- Urine Transitional (Urothelial) Epithelial CellsA count of cells shed from the lining of your bladder and urinary tract. A few are normal.
- Urine Triple Phosphate (Struvite) CrystalsWhether 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 Uric Acid CrystalsWhether uric acid crystals show up in a urine sample. They are common in acidic or concentrated urine and are often harmless.
- Urine Uric Acid, 24-HourHow much uric acid your kidneys pass in urine over a full day. It is used mostly to look into kidney stones and gout.
- Urine Volume, 24-HourThe total amount of urine you pass in 24 hours. It reflects how much fluid you take in and lose, and it is needed to read other 24-hour urine tests.
- Urine YeastWhether 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.