You must have heard of the term urine routine test before. You must know someone who has gotten it done as well if at all, you have not gotten it done yourself. One of the common routine examinations, a urine routine test is a combination of several tests conducted on the urine sample of a patient provided by him or her. It is one of the most common tests, required for medical purposes, that a person must get done in their lives.
In a urine routine examination, the professionals conduct a physical, chemical, as well as microscopic examination of the urine sample provided by the person. This test is conducted to find out about any infections or diseases that the patient or person might be going through.
Why is a urine routine examination conducted?
Even though physicians and specialists can determine the condition of a patient mostly by looking at them or reading their symptoms, causing them pain and discomfort, sometimes, some infections or diseases might not show any clear symptoms, to begin with.
Many a time, a patient looking fit is struggling with some disease that cannot be determined by their outer physical appearance. Many infections do not cause pain and discomfort in the beginning either but with time the severity of the infection grows, and it becomes dangerous. Sometimes, the pain caused by the increased severity of infections and diseases can be unbearable, and the infection or the disease is life-threatening.
A urine routine test is conducted to detect or trace any unwanted substances, cells, or bacteria that may be present in the sample, indicating different disorders or infections.
The purpose of a urine routine examination is to diagnose diseases and screen issues related to health.
What kind of disorders or diseases can be determined or diagnosed through a urine routine test?
There is not one disease or disorder that urine tests are aimed at. They are performed with various intentions. Sometimes, the doctors, depending on case-to-case basis, keeping the symptoms of the person in mind, recommend a urine examination to rule out one or more diseases they might have in mind, whereas, some other times, the doctors suggest a urine test to find out what the problem is.
A urine routine examination can be recommended for diagnosing several diseases. Sometimes, doctors suggest a urine test for determining your susceptibility and chances of catching a disease. Some of them are:
- Pregnancy-
Though pregnancy is not a disease or disorder, doctors recommend a urine test to find out if a woman is pregnant. This test is conducted because pregnant women release urine that only pregnant women can have.
Anyone else who does not have a life growing inside them cannot produce such urine samples, therefore, doctors recommend a urine test for women who could be pregnant. There are other ways of finding out if pregnancy is positive as well, but a urine routine test is preferred because the procedure is completely non-invasive, not at all painful, and accurate.
- Diabetes-
Diabetes can be inherited and is linked to your genetics. Diabetes is already common in people now and the number of its patients are only growing. Since diabetes cannot be cured, doctors advise taking all possible measures to avoid it. As a result, if diabetes runs in your family, doctors advise getting a urine routine examination to keep it in check.
- Kidney diseases-
Kidney diseases are directly linked to urine health. A urine test is always required to rule out kidney problems in a patient to avoid problems like kidney failure in the future.
- Kidney stones-
A lot of people wonder how a urine routine examination diagnosis kidney stones since urine cannot contain kidney stones itself. Well, kidney stones diagnosis requires a urine test because, through the sample, the level of minerals in your urine from the kidney stones can be determined.
These levels of minerals help rule out the possibility of kidney stones. Kidney stones can be very painful and if left untreated, they can become very serious. Sometimes, even life-threatening. As a result, you should never ignore the doctor’s advice, when it comes to kidney stones.
- UTI or Urinary Tract Infections-
UTIs can be very painful and uncomfortable for a person. Women are more prone to UTIs because of dirty and unhygienic public toilets as well as sexual intercourse. UTIs require antibiotic tablets if diagnosed early and IVs if diagnosed after it becomes severe.
UTIs can also be recurring. A urine routine examination is compulsory to diagnose UTI. Its symptoms include pain and burning sensation while urinating, frequent urges to urinate, the abnormal color of urine, etc.
Preparing for the test
A urine routine examination usually does not require any special preparation, but some things should be taken care of, such as:
- Collect the sample first thing in the morning- it is recommended that you should collect the sample the very first time you urinate in the morning after waking up. This is to avoid any influence on the sample of the food or liquid consumed later in the day.
- Communicate with your doctor about medications, if any- if you are on certain medications, let your doctor know in advance. They will advise you to stop the medication temporarily if required or postpone the examination or take required precautions. This is because some medicines can alter the test results.
Results:
Usually, the results are delivered within 24 to 36 hours. Once you get your test results, consult your doctor and they will explain the situation to you and suggest medications or treatments as required.
Urine routine examinations are critical in diagnosing some conditions or diseases. If your doctor has recommended one, do not postpone it or ignore his advice.