Urine Analysis Revisited: A Review

ABSTRACT

Analysis of urine represents a basic test in the diagnostic battery for most of the systemic disorders and renal diseases in particular. Significant informations can be obtained by urinalysis as many disease processes invariably display urinary abnormalities. It offers a simple, often quick way of following response to treatment in these diseases, without putting the patient under much distress. For urinalysis to be maximally useful as a diagnostic tool, attention to details is necessary in the methodology of urine collection, timely sample processing and most importantly, a thorough knowledge on the various abnormalities that can be detected during the analysis. This article is a comprehensive review on urinalysis, including the intricacies of sample collection, various normal and abnormal physical and chemical parameters with an emphasis on the importance of a meticulous microscopic examination of urine sample to arrive at a diagnosis.