Urinalysis — What a Routine Urine Test Reports
A urinalysis checks appearance, concentration and substances not normally in urine — blood, protein, glucose, ketones, bilirubin — each item read separately.
A urinalysis checks your urine's appearance and concentration, and whether substances not normally found there — blood, too much protein, glucose, ketones or bilirubin, along with cells, crystals and casts — are present; each item is reported separately, and several are affected by everyday factors.
The biomarker
- Name: Urinalysis
- Units: several units; most items are reported as present or absent, specific gravity as a ratio.
- Standard range: urine specific gravity 1.005 to 1.030 per the MedlinePlus encyclopedia; the other items are compared with the reference values printed on your own report (ranges vary by lab).
How to read your result
| Item | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| Blood | Many things can put blood in urine and most are not serious, including certain medicines, intense exercise, sexual activity and menstruation; a positive result may still need more tests. |
| Protein | A negative result means the urine did not contain too much protein when tested; protein that stays high needs clinical follow-up. |
| Crystals | Crystals do not always mean a condition that needs treatment; some are caused by certain medicines. |
| Specific gravity | A measure of how concentrated the urine is. |
| Overall | A urinalysis is a set of separate results, and one flagged item is interpreted alongside the others and with a clinician. |
What moves the needle
- Do not act on a single flagged item without discussing it.
- If flagged, ask whether the test should be repeated on a fresh sample.
- Preparation: follow the collection instructions you are given, usually a clean-catch midstream sample.
- Tell the clinician about recent intense exercise, menstruation and every medicine you take — each can change a result.
Why this test is worth asking for
- It is a broad screen across kidney, metabolic and urinary-tract function in a single, non-invasive sample.
- Several of its items — blood, protein — are early signals worth following up even when the rest of the panel looks normal.
Sources
- MedlinePlus — Urinalysis
- MedlinePlus — Urine specific gravity test
- MedlinePlus — Blood in Urine
- MedlinePlus — Protein in Urine
- MedlinePlus — Crystals in Urine
AgeGen lab guides are educational only. We do not provide medical diagnosis, prescribe brands, or recommend specific doses. Talk to a licensed clinician before changing your supplement or medication routine.
