Urinalysis

Abstract

Urinalysis comprises physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. Although widely available, this test is often underused and misinterpreted. Urinalysis can provide helpful clues in the assessment of a variety of clinical conditions, but one must be aware of their limitations. On proper collection, the sample must be analyzed ideally within 2 hours. Dipstick urinalysis is convenient and commonly performed but provides qualitative or semiquantitative assessment only, and its results can be affected by urine discoloration and the presence of various other substances. Finally, urine microscopy is an important component of urinalysis used to identify various structures such as crystals, cells, microorganisms, and casts, which in turn helps in the assessment of the underlying disease. In this review, we discuss the clinical implications of various findings on urinalysis. Additionally, we also highlight the importance of proper sample collection and examination techniques to optimize the diagnostic yield of this invaluable test. This review contains 1 highly rendered figure, 5 tables, and 53 references.