CHEMISTRY OF URINE ANALYSIS

ORGANS:
1. 1. Kidneys and lungs – main excretory organs of waste
products of metabolites
Kidneys – H2O, salts, nitrogenous substances
Lungs – CO2 and volatile substances

1. 2. Liver, skin and Intestines

Liver – bile, bile pigments, cholesterol
Intestine – certain mineral salts
Skin – perspiration
URINE:
A. A. VOLUME
• • Normal volume/day : 1000 to 1500ml/day
• • Volume increased in cold/during cold weather,
decrease during hot weather
• • Depends on: a. amount of liquid consumed
b. amount of water excreted by the skin
c. amount lost during such conditions as fever or
diarrhea
PATHOLOGY:
1. 1. Anuria – no urine excreted
• - in poisoning (HgCl2)
1. 2. Oliguria – little amount of urine excreted

• - In fever, diarrhea, vomiting

1. 3. Polyuria – increase volume of urine

• - In diabetes insipidus and pancreatic diabetes

1. B. COLOR AND APPEARANCE

2. 1. Color

• • Pale yellow to amber yellow in color

• • Due to UROCHROME – chief pigment

• • Dark yellow – in fever

• • Red – hemorrhage in UT

• • Black – carbolic acid poisoning (due to phenol derivatives)

• • Green – jaundice (due to bile pigments)

1. 2. Appearance
 • • Normal urine is clear

• • Cloudy – after a heavy meal; upon standing because of

precipitation of phosphates

1. C. ODOR AND TASTE

2. 1. Odor

• • Fresh urine – faintly aromatic color

• • On standing –ammoniacal

• • Acidosis – sweet odor due to acetone

1. 2. Taste

• • Salty due to NaCl

• • Diabetes – sweet taste due to glucose

1. D. SPECIFIC GRAVITY

• • 1.008 to 1.030

• • Varies according to the concentration of solid waste

products

• • Increased volume excreted, decreased specific gravity

1. E. pH

• • 3.5 -7.5 (slightly acidic)

• • Due to acid phosphates, sulfides and organic acids

• • Increase acidity: a. high protein meal

b. diabetes mellitus because of excretion of

ketone bodies

c. starvation

• • Temporarily alkaline: fruits and vegetables

ALKALINE TIDE – temporary shift in pH due to an equivalent of alkaline

salts enters the blood for each equivalent of HCl secreted into the
stomach during digestion and these salts are excreted in the urine

NORMAL CONSTITUENTS OF URINE:

Urine – 96% H2O and 4% dissolved organic and inorganic waste
products

1. 1. Urea

• • chief nitrogenous end-product of CHON metabolism

• • formed in the liver from the oxidative deamination of

amino acids

1. 2. Uric Acid

• • Chief end-product of purine metabolism which are

derived from nucleic acids and in turn, nucleoproteins

• • Increased uric acid : a. foods rich in nucleoprotein

a. b. leukemia

• • decreased uric acid: gout and nephritis

• • under certain conditions: uric acid crystallizes in the

kidneys, forming kidney stones

a. 3. Creatinine
• • Anhydride of creatinine, is thought to originate from the
creatinine of the muscles

• • Proportional to the muscular development of the individual

• • Creatinine coefficient mg of creatinine excreted per day

per kg of body weight

a. 4. Chlorides
• • NaCl – chief chloride in the urine

a. 5. Phosphate
• • Derived from P –containing foods: casein, nucleoproteins
and phospholipids

• • Increased phosphate: ricket, osteomalacia, pulmonary TB

• • Decreased phosphate: acute infectious diseases, kidney

diseases, late stages of poregnancy during fetal bone formation

a. 6. Sulfates
• • Derived from oxidation of S-containing amino acids (Cys,
Cyi1 met)
 a. 7. Ammonia

• • In the form of NH4 Cl, (NH4)2SO4 % (NN4)3NH3PO)4

a. 8. Other Constituents: small amounts of hippuric acid, indicant,

amino acids and urochrone

PATHOLOGICAL CONSTITUENTS OF URINE:

1. 1. Glucose: GLYCOSURIA
• • Normally, very small amount in urine not enough to give a
positive (+) result for Fehling’s and Benedict’s tests

• • Large amount of glucose is due to:

• o Lack of insulin (DM)

• o Lowered renal threshold (renal glycosuria)

• o High CHO meal (temporary glycosuria)

1. 2. Proteins: (PROTEINURIA/ALBUMINURIA)
• • Indication of impaired kidney functions, such as nephritis and
nephrosis

1. 3. Ketone Bodies: KETONURIA/ACETONURIA

• • Increased in uncontrolled (acetoacetic acid & B-hydroxybutyric
acid, brings about to ACIDOSIS – result of the depletion of the body’s
alakali reserve

1. 4. Blood
• • RBC (hematuria) – caused by lesions in either the kidney or
urinary tract

• • Hemoglobin (hemoglobinuria) – due to hemolysis of RBC occurs in

malaria, scurvy and smallpox

1. 5. Bile
• • Normally excreted in the feces

• • Yellowish green to brown color and by yellow foam when shaken

indicates:

• o Obstructive jaundice – obstruction of the bile duct

• o Hemolytic jaundice – excessive destruction of RBC or

severe liver damage
1. 6. Indican
• • When CHON foods containing tryptophan putrefy in the large
intestine, indole and skatole are formed

• • These substances are detoxified in the liver, indole being

converted to indican (INDOXYL POTASSIUM SULFATE) which is
secreted in the urine

• ϖ Pus and Casts by infection in the kidneys or the urinary tract may
also be present in urine