How and how much better to store urine for analysis

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How and how much urine to store for analysis is not an idle question. He is often faced with parents of babies up to a year and those who, for health reasons, are forced to take a certain type of test. How to store urine is more or less clear. In Soviet times, ordinary glass jars of mayonnaise and baby food were used.

Nowadays, pharmacies offer convenient disposable plastic containers with a tightly screwed lid. Glass bottles with a scale are still used - they are usually given in hospitals. We will figure out which containers to give preference to and how long the sample can be stored.

Types of urine tests

Laboratory analysis of urine is one of the most effective and tested methods for diagnosing various diseases, determining the general condition of the human body. There are two large subspecies of such analyzes: specific and non-specific. Specific species include:

• according to Nechiporenko - the morning portion of urine is examined to detect pyelonephritis or urethritis;
• according to Zimnitsky - 8 portions of urine collected according to the schedule during the day are examined to analyze kidney function;
• for sugar - determination of the level of glucose in the urine to exclude or confirm diabetes mellitus and diagnose the state of the pancreas;
• for protein - necessary for the detection of infectious diseases and inflammatory processes in the body;
• hCG level - early pregnancy detection;
• Reberg test - determining the level of creatinine produced by the kidneys and affecting the functioning of the thyroid gland, heart, and other organs.

Clinical (general) analysis - a laboratory study of the morning portion of urine on the level of leukocytes, red blood cells, protein, mucus, transparency, color, sediment. It is prescribed to patients of any age and gender.

Each of these types of urinalysis requires a certain preparation from the patient, which consists in not consuming the day before:

• alcoholic drinks;
• products staining urine: beets, blackberries, carrots, etc .;
• certain vitamins and drugs that affect the composition and smell of urine, for example, rifampicin, penicillin;
• diuretics.

Before taking a urine test, you need to take care of the hygiene of the genitals so that the results are not distorted. A woman during menstruation should not take an analysis or, in acute cases, warn her doctor about her cycle, and during the collection of urine, a hygienic swab should be in the vagina. The day before, one should not train hard or endure heavy physical exertion.

Oddly enough, you should be able to take a urine test correctly. If a portion of urine should be one, then you need to take an average. This means that a little urine needs to be sent to the toilet, only then fill the container. For a general analysis, 150 ml is enough. It is better to cast it, tightly close the lid without touching its inner surface.

There are cases when, due to improper preparation of containers or improper collection of urine, protein, bacteria, high white blood cell count, and sediment were found in the analysis. After hospitalization in a hospital, sterile urine taken with a catheter turned out to be absolutely normal.

In infants, urine is collected in a sterile urinal, then poured into a container. In older children, you can collect urine immediately in a container or pour it from a pre-sterilized pot. But with transfusion, urine loses its sterility, and, if hygiene rules are not followed, analysis can show an increased level of white blood cells.Before collecting urine, the child's genitals should be washed and blotted with a clean cloth.

What is better to store

Urine should be collected for analysis in a dry, clean glass or disposable plastic container or containers.

A urinalysis according to Zimnitsky, for example, should be collected from 06:00 a.m. on a clock basis 8 times a day. Do not mix portions. Therefore, you need to prepare 8 special containers, voluminous enough to accommodate the entire single serving. The container must be numbered, after collection, each jar is put in the refrigerator.

If it is problematic to purchase jars at the pharmacy, you can use glass containers with lids. The main thing is to prepare them correctly. To do this, they should be thoroughly washed, rinsed well with hot water from surfactants contained in the detergent, dried or sterilized with a lid.

The disadvantage of such a container for collecting urine tests is a high probability of leaving pollution, fat, chemicals on the walls that can distort the result of the studies. Therefore, they should be used only for those types of analysis where sterility is not needed (general analysis, analysis according to Zimnitsky and some others). Test for baksev, protein, hCG, etc. it is better to collect in sterile containers purchased at a pharmacy.

Tip
purity.bigbadmole.com/en/ recommends contacting your healthcare provider about how and where to store urine for specific tests.

Storage time

An important nuance is how much urine can be stored for analysis. At room temperature - storage period cannot exceed 2-3 hours. During longer storage, the sample changes color and smell, the number of microbes in it increases, the glucose level decreases, oxidation occurs if the container is not tightly closed. This will greatly distort the result.

It is not recommended to store urine in the refrigerator (except for Zimnitsky analysis), it is better in a cool place, and if in the refrigerator, then on the lower shelf at a temperature not lower than + 4 ° C. This primarily concerns the collection of daily urine. For such a sample, it is better to use a glass container, and at the end mix the urine and pour the required amount into a sterile container. A single serving should be immediately delivered to the laboratory.

Important
If urine is stored for more than 24 hours, it is unsuitable for analysis.

It is not recommended to collect urine in the evening, and then take it in the morning. The composition of the morning portion better reflects the state of the body, while in the evening urine most indicators may change by morning.

So, in order for a urinalysis to correctly reflect the state of health or help establish the correct diagnosis, it is necessary to follow simple rules:

1. Listen to the doctor's recommendations regarding the collection and delivery of the analysis.
2. Do not take drugs affecting the analysis the day before; do not eat urine-staining products.
3. Collect urine in a specially prepared or sterile container.
4. Before collection, perform hygiene procedures.
5. Do not collect the very first urine in a container.
6. The container with the analysis within 2-3 hours after collection should be delivered to the laboratory, except for certain types of analyzes that require collection during the day.

If everything is done carefully, then the result of the study can be trusted, and the correct diagnosis is guaranteed. Health to you!

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