A widely used laboratory method that is used for the primary diagnosis of various diseases of the genitourinary system. Symptoms indicating the need for research:
Pain in the lower abdomen, lower back;
Cramps and painful urination;
Delayed or frequent diuresis;
External change in urine (cloudy, red, dark, sharp unpleasant odor);
Symptoms of the inflammatory process (fever, chills, severe weakness, malaise).
OAM indicators and their clinical significance:
1. Color - yellow or its shades, which depends on food, medication intake. Red - hematuria (with tumors, injuries, advancement of stones), dark - with obstructive jaundice;
2. Transparency - must be completely transparent. Turbidity is especially characteristic of glomerulonephritis, complicated pyelonephritis;
3. Reaction (pH) - from acidic (4.9) to slightly alkaline (7.5). Fluctuations in one direction or another indicate an imbalance in the acid-base balance, which may be associated not only with the excretory system, but also with the pathology of the lungs and blood;
4. Density (specific gravity) - from 1010 to 1025. Decrease indicates a drop in the concentration capacity of the glomeruli, an increase - with inflammation, including systemic or autoimmune, renal and heart failure;
5. Protein - no more than 0.033 g / l, otherwise - proteinuria arising from inflammation at any urogenital level (nephritis, cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis), as well as in the case of most kidney diseases and severe pathological conditions (heart and lung failure);
6. Glucose - up to 0.8 mmol / l. Growth is observed in endocrinopathy, especially in diabetes mellitus;
7. Ketone bodies - indicate diabetes mellitus, severe infections and intoxication, starvation;
8. Bilirubin - appears in hepatic pathology (hepatitis, cirrhosis), jaundice, hemolytic anemia, poisoning with poisons that cause hemolysis;
9. Urobilinogen - normally absent, similar to bilirubin;
10. Hemoglobin - is determined by massive destruction of erythrocytes in the vascular bed (hemolytic anemia).
In addition to studying the physicochemical properties, sediment microscopy is performed, which also has great diagnostic value:
A content of up to 5 may be considered a relatively normal concentration or indicate a sluggish chronic inflammation;
Erythrocytes - up to two in the field of view of the microscope objective. An increase indicates malignant or large benign neoplasms in the bladder, calculi in the urinary tract, trauma;
Leukocytes - up to three in men, up to five in women: a classic sign of any inflammatory process at any level, including in the body in general;
Bacteria and fungi - the presence indicates the corresponding infection (more often cystitis, urethritis, candidiasis);
Salts - their presence occurs in chronic nephritis, gout, diabetic complications, impaired calcium and phosphorus metabolism;
The cylinders are the dense contents of the renal tubules. Detect in bacterial, viral, autoimmune damage, heart attack, amyloidosis, renal thrombosis, nephrotic syndrome, arterial hypertension;
Malignant cells - are determined by decay in the urinary structures of the corresponding tumors.
Obviously, thanks to OAM, many different diseases can be suspected, but other, more specific methods are needed to clarify the diagnosis.
