Urinalysis - an important diagnostic tool
Urinalysis has always been an important diagnostic tool in medicine.
Even today, urine is still a key health barometer for many diseases, mainly urinary tract infections, kidney disease and diabetes.1 The analysis of urine can reveal serious diseases that show no symptoms in their early stages but are treatable.2 These diseases can cause severe damage if they remain undetected.
Urine test strips are a crucial diagnostic tool which are easy to use and yielding quick, reliable information on pathological changes in the urine. Their diagnostic significance lies primarily in first-line diagnosis, screening during routine or preventive examinations, and treatment monitoring.3
References
- Suthar, K. S. & Vanikar, A. V., 2017. Urinary Screening for Early Detection of Kidney Diseases. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, pp. DOI 10.1007/s12098-017-2494-y.
- Krogsbøll, L. T., Jørgensen, K. J. & Gøtzsche, P. C., 2015. Screening with urinary dipsticks for reducing morbidity and mortality. Cochrane Database Syst Rev., 2015(1), p. CD010007.
- Ringsrud, K. M. & Linne, J. J., 1995. Urinalysis and Body Fluids: A Colortext and Atlas. 1st ed. Maryland Heights: Mosby.
- Schot MJC, van Delft S, Kooijman-Buiting AMJ, et al. Analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six point-of-care testing urine analysers for urinary tract infection in general practice. BMJ Open 2015; 5:e006857. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006857.
- Delft, S. v., Goedhart, A. & Spigt, M., 2016. Prospective, observational study comparing automated and visual point-of-care urinalysis in general practice. BMJ Journals, 6(8).