Urine Flashcards
What is urine composed of?
Urine consists of water products filtered from the blood by the kidneys in a mixture of water, salts, and other chemicals.
How much urine do adults excrete in a day?
Adults excrete about 600 – 2000 cc of urine in a day.
What are some non-nitrogenous organic substances found in urine?
Glucose, glucuronic acid, acetone bodies, oxalate organic acids, and organic sulfur compounds.
What inorganic salts are present in urine?
Na, K, Mg, NH4, and traces of iron, copper, zinc, chlorides, phosphates, sulfates, traces of nitrates, silicates, and fluorides.
What is the specific gravity range of urine?
The specific gravity of urine ranges from 1.003 to 1.030.
What is the pH range of urine?
The pH of urine ranges from 4.8 to 8, with an average around 6.
What gives urine its color?
Urine has an amber yellow color due to the presence of the pigment urochrome.
What happens to urine color on standing?
On standing, urine usually darkens due to the oxidation of urobilinogen.
What is the odor of fresh urine?
Fresh urine has an aromatic odor.
What odor develops when urine is allowed to stand?
Urine develops an ammoniacal odor when allowed to stand due to the hydrolysis of urea to ammonia.
What is the transparency of normal urine?
Normal urine is clear and transparent.
What can cause turbidity in urine?
Prolonged standing may allow components such as mucus, leukocytes, epithelial cells, and pus cells to precipitate, causing turbidity.
What is the primary function of the kidneys?
The primary function of the kidneys is to regulate the extracellular fluid (plasma) environment in the body through the formation of urine.
What are the basic processes of kidneys in their sorting and cleansing action?
- Filtration of small molecules from the blood. 2. Reabsorption of useful molecules from urine back to the blood. 3. Secretion of ions and some drugs from the blood into the urine.
What are normal constituents of urine?
Normal constituents of urine include water, urea, sodium chloride, creatinine, ammonia, hippuric acid, and purine bodies.
What factors affect urea excretion?
Increased water and beer intake stimulates protein catabolism; decreased urea excretion may occur due to liver or nephritis diseases.
What is uric acid?
Uric acid is an insoluble, white crystalline compound derived from ammonia, the main end product of purine metabolism, and is excreted through urine.
What is creatinine?
Creatinine is a waste product of muscle metabolism that reflects the body’s muscle mass.
What do low levels of creatinine indicate?
Low levels of creatinine may indicate kidney damage, protein starvation, liver disease, or pregnancy.
What is the normal range for urinary creatinine excretion?
The normal range for urinary creatinine excretion is 20-25 mg per kg body weight.
