Urine Glucose
mg/dL
Fasting glucose serves as a cornerstone marker for glucose metabolism, with optimal levels indicating efficient insulin function and metabolic health.
Optimal Range
70-99 mg/dL
optimal 75-85 mg/dL
EssentialAdvancedMax
A urinalysis is a simple yet powerful test that can reveal kidney disease, urinary tract infections, diabetes, and liver conditions. By examining the physical, chemical, and microscopic properties of your urine, this panel provides a window into your overall health.
Fasting glucose serves as a cornerstone marker for glucose metabolism, with optimal levels indicating efficient insulin function and metabolic health.
Optimal Range
70-99 mg/dL
optimal 75-85 mg/dL
Urinary yeast detects fungal infections and may indicate systemic candida overgrowth or underlying immune dysfunction.
Optimal Range
Negative/None detected
presence may indicate fungal infection
Hyaline casts indicate mild kidney stress when elevated but are often normal findings.
Optimal Range
0-2 per lpf
occasional hyaline casts are normal
Granular casts indicate kidney damage or disease, requiring nephrology evaluation and treatment.
Optimal Range
None to rare
presence indicates kidney damage
Urinary casts indicate kidney pathology, with type and quantity guiding diagnosis and treatment.
Optimal Range
None to occasional hyaline
other types indicate kidney pathology
Urine Bilirubin is part of our comprehensive Urine panel. Full content coming soon.
Optimal Range
optimal Negative
Uric acid reflects purine metabolism and kidney function. Optimal levels prevent gout, kidney stones, and reduce cardiovascular disease risk.
Optimal Range
Male: 3.7-8.6 mg/dL
Female: 2.6-6.0 mg/dL
optimal Male: 4.0-6.5 mg/dL
Female: 3.0-5.5 mg/dL
Calcium oxalate crystals indicate the most common kidney stone risk, requiring specific dietary interventions.
Optimal Range
None to rare
presence indicates oxalate stone risk
Amorphous sediment indicates early crystal formation and stone risk when present in large amounts.
Optimal Range
None to small amount
large amounts may indicate crystalluria
Urinary bacteria detect UTIs and help guide antimicrobial treatment while identifying patterns that may indicate underlying dysfunction.
Optimal Range
Negative/None detected
presence indicates urinary tract infection
Urine crystals indicate kidney stone risk and metabolic imbalances requiring targeted prevention strategies.
Optimal Range
None to few
presence may indicate stone risk or metabolic issues
Triple phosphate crystals indicate alkaline urine and potential infection, requiring acidification and treatment.
Optimal Range
None
presence may indicate alkaline urine or infection
Transitional epithelial cells indicate bladder or ureter irritation, requiring urological assessment if elevated.
Optimal Range
None to rare
presence may indicate bladder or ureter irritation
Renal epithelial cells indicate kidney damage or disease, requiring nephrology evaluation.
Optimal Range
None to rare
presence may indicate kidney damage
Urine appearance indicates kidney filtration quality and presence of infections or crystals.
Optimal Range
Clear
optimal clear appearance without cloudiness
Urine Blood is part of our comprehensive Urine panel. Full content coming soon.
Optimal Range
optimal 0 - 2/[HPF]
Urine WBC is an important biomarker for health assessment.
Optimal Range
optimal 0 - 5/[HPF]
Leukocyte esterase detects urinary tract inflammation and immune activation, helping screen for UTIs and urinary inflammation.
Optimal Range
Negative
positive indicates white blood cells in urine
Urinary nitrites specifically detect nitrate-reducing bacteria, helping confirm bacterial UTIs and guide treatment decisions.
Optimal Range
Negative
positive indicates nitrate-reducing bacteria
Urine Protein is part of our comprehensive Urine panel. Full content coming soon.
Optimal Range
optimal Negative
Urine Ph is part of our comprehensive Urine panel. Full content coming soon.
Optimal Range
optimal Negative
Occult blood detects microscopic bleeding in the urinary tract, requiring investigation for underlying causes.
Optimal Range
Negative
presence indicates bleeding or hemolysis
Specific gravity measures kidney concentrating ability and hydration status for optimal fluid balance assessment.
Optimal Range
1.003-1.030
optimal 1.010-1.020 for normal hydration
Ketones reflect metabolic flexibility and fat-burning capacity, indicating the body's ability to efficiently utilize stored fat for sustained energy production.
Optimal Range
0.5-3.0 mmol/L for nutritional ketosis
<0.5 mmol/L normal
optimal 0.5-1.5 mmol/L
Urine color indicates hydration status and can reveal kidney, liver, or metabolic issues requiring attention.
Optimal Range
Pale yellow to amber
optimal pale yellow indicating good hydration
Squamous epithelial cells indicate specimen contamination and collection quality rather than disease.
Optimal Range
Few
excessive numbers may indicate contamination
Urine analysis has been used as a diagnostic tool since antiquity — ancient physicians observed urine colour, clarity, and odour to infer disease states thousands of years before biochemistry was understood. Modern urinalysis builds on this foundation with quantitative chemical analysis, microscopic examination, and increasingly sensitive dipstick assays that collectively assess kidney filtering function, metabolic status, urinary tract health, and systemic conditions affecting the entire body's chemistry.
Urinalysis is uniquely valuable because urine integrates information from multiple organ systems simultaneously. Glucose in urine reflects carbohydrate metabolism; bilirubin reflects liver and red blood cell status; protein reflects glomerular filtration integrity; ketones reflect fat metabolism; nitrites and leukocyte esterase reflect urinary tract infection. A single urinalysis provides a diagnostic window into the kidneys, liver, pancreas, immune system, and metabolic health — making it an irreplaceable component of comprehensive health screening.
Urine health does not exist in isolation — it is deeply intertwined with every major system.
Urine composition directly reflects what the kidneys are filtering and what the tubules are selectively reabsorbing. The nephron filters approximately 180 litres of plasma per day, but only 1–2 litres become urine — the rest is reabsorbed. Glucose normally doesn't appear in urine because tubular reabsorption is complete. When blood glucose exceeds ~180 mg/dL (the 'renal threshold'), glucosuria occurs. Tubular damage (from toxins, ischaemia, or inherited disorders) impairs reabsorption, causing aminoaciduria, phosphaturia, and glucose spillage at normal blood levels — a pattern called Fanconi syndrome.
Leukocyte esterase on urine dipstick detects the enzyme released by neutrophils when they enter the urinary tract in response to bacterial invasion. Nitrites reflect bacterial reduction of urinary nitrates — particularly Gram-negative bacteria like E. coli, the most common UTI pathogen. Combined positive leukocyte esterase and nitrites have 75–85% sensitivity for UTI; urine microscopy showing >10 WBC/hpf with bacteria confirms infection. Urinalysis is the standard first-line diagnostic test for UTI, guiding antibiotic selection before culture results return.
Glucosuria is the classic urinary finding in uncontrolled type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Ketonuria in the absence of hyperglycaemia indicates fat is the primary energy source — seen in fasting, low-carbohydrate diets, prolonged exercise, pregnancy, and starvation. High urine uric acid crystals suggest hyperuricaemia and gout risk. Calcium oxalate crystals, particularly when combined with low urinary citrate, identify kidney stone formers before their first stone. Monitoring these markers enables metabolic disease management and personalised stone prevention strategies.
Painless gross haematuria (blood visible in urine) in older adults, particularly smokers, is considered bladder cancer until proven otherwise. Approximately 20% of adults over 50 with gross haematuria have bladder or urothelial cancer. Urine microscopy detecting red blood cells — even microscopic amounts — in the right clinical context warrants imaging and cystoscopy. Persistently abnormal urine cytology (presence of malignant-appearing cells) is diagnostic of high-grade urothelial cancer. Early detection of bladder cancer when limited to the mucosa carries >90% five-year survival.
Clinical Note
A urine dipstick is a screening test, not a diagnostic test. False positives for haematuria occur from myoglobinuria (after intense exercise), menstrual contamination, and certain foods. Positive protein on dipstick should be confirmed with a spot urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), which is far more sensitive and quantitative for early kidney disease. All abnormal urinalysis results should be correlated with clinical history before conclusions are drawn.
A comprehensive urinalysis has three components. The physical exam assesses colour (pale to dark yellow; cloudy or red coloration is abnormal) and clarity. The chemical dipstick tests for glucose (indicates diabetes), protein (indicates kidney disease), blood (can indicate UTI, kidney stones, or kidney disease), ketones (indicates fat burning or diabetic ketoacidosis), bilirubin (indicates liver problems), nitrites (indicates bacterial UTI), leukocyte esterase (indicates white cell presence/infection), pH, and specific gravity (reflects hydration and concentrating ability). The microscopic exam identifies red cells, white cells, bacteria, epithelial cells, and casts under magnification.
Healthy kidneys prevent large proteins from passing into urine — protein in urine (proteinuria) is an early warning sign of kidney damage. The glomerular filtration barrier is compromised, allowing albumin and other proteins to leak through. Persistent proteinuria is a hallmark of early diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease from diabetes) and glomerulonephritis. Even trace protein on a dipstick warrants follow-up with a spot urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). A UACR above 30 mg/g is diagnostic of microalbuminuria and indicates active kidney disease even when eGFR is still normal.
Blood in urine can be visible (gross haematuria — pink, red, or brown urine) or detectable only by dipstick and microscopy (microscopic haematuria). Causes range from benign (vigorous exercise, menstrual contamination, dehydration) to serious (urinary tract infections, kidney stones, bladder or kidney cancer, glomerulonephritis). Isolated microscopic haematuria on a single test in a healthy young person is often transient — it should be confirmed on a second test. Persistent or unexplained haematuria always warrants further evaluation with imaging and cystoscopy.
Urinary casts are cylindrical structures that form when proteins or cells congeal in the kidney tubules and are flushed into urine. Hyaline casts (protein only) can be normal in small amounts after exercise or dehydration. Granular casts indicate tubular cell breakdown and suggest intrinsic kidney disease. Red cell casts are highly specific for glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney filtering units). White cell casts indicate kidney infection (pyelonephritis) or interstitial nephritis. The presence and type of casts in a urine microscopy significantly narrows the differential diagnosis of kidney disease.
Urine specific gravity measures how concentrated or dilute urine is relative to pure water (1.000). A normal range is 1.002–1.030. Low specific gravity (below 1.005) indicates very dilute urine — seen with high fluid intake, diabetes insipidus, or early kidney disease where concentrating ability is lost. High specific gravity (above 1.020) indicates concentrated urine from dehydration, fever, or vomiting. When combined with urine colour and osmolality, specific gravity is a practical hydration biomarker — consistently pale, dilute urine is generally a sign of good hydration.
Join thousands who have discovered their health optimization opportunities through comprehensive urine testing.