What Is Spot Urine Test And Its Uses?

A Spot Urine Test is typically done to screen for kidney problems and other plausible reasons. The outcome of the urine test can help your doctor to determine the exact cause of worry and decide on the further course of treatment.

But, when your healthcare provider asks you for a urine sample, it could either imply a spot urine test or a 24-hour test. So, read on to know more about what exactly the Spot Urine Test is, how and why the test is done, what is Spot Urine Protein Normal Range, what is Spot Urine Creatinine Normal Range and much more.

What is a Spot Urine Test?

As the name suggests, you do not have to collect all the urine you pass for the sample. For the Spot Urine Test, you just have to collect a small sample of urine in the sterile container provided. Though the test can be done anytime during the day, typically, the first urine in the morning is preferred. 

Also, your healthcare provider may suggest you collect the sample midstream which implies that you need to collect the sample when you are partway through passing the urine. For this reason, the names random or midstream are also used in place of spot urine.

Uses of Spot Urine Test

Your healthcare provider may recommend you a spot urine test for the following reasons:

• If they suspect any kidney problems
• To see if your kidneys are responding well to an ongoing treatment 
• If you have any symptoms of UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)
• Routine urinalysis
• Check hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) levels for pregnancy, etc.
  

What Are The Typical Symptoms That Can Lead You to a Spot Urine Test?

Your doctor may suggest you a spot urine test to screen for kidney-related problems if they observe some typical risk factors as follows:

• If you have a family history of kidney-related issues
• If you are aged or overweight
• If you have diabetes, hypertension or other chronic ailments
• If you are consuming any OTC or prescription medications that might have a direct or indirect impact on the normal kidney function

Also, your doctor might suggest you take this test if you complain about the following symptoms of UTI:

• Abnormal urinary frequency- needing to pee more urgently or frequently than usual
• Nocturia- increased urinary frequency during the night
• Clouded or dark or smelly urine
• Dysuria- burning sensation or pain while passing urine
• Passing blood while peeing

Apart from these reasons, your doctor might suggest this test to confirm pregnancy, any other chronic ailment, etc.

Where Can You Do a Spot Urine Test?

You can do a Spot Urine Test at a hygienic place with suitable facilities that could be your home, doctor’s clinic or the nearest Metropolis lab. A trained technician from a Metropolis lab can either come to your place for sample collection or you can deliver the sample at the lab facility.

How to Collect The Sample For Spot Urine Test?

Before you take the protein urine test or creatinine urine test, your doctor must know if you are consuming any medicines presently, as certain medications can affect the level of protein or creatinine in the urine. If you are on any such medication, your doctor might ask you to stop the medicines and take the test a couple of days later.

For the one-time sample for Spot Urine Test, here’s the step-by-step process that you must follow.

• Wash your hands properly before you collect the urine sample.
• Keep the sterile container and a small sterile tissue to clean your genitals handy at a clean and dry place.
• Do not touch the inside of the cap or the container to be used for one-time sample collection.
• Firstly, clean the area around the urethra with sterile tissue, and urinate in the toilet for several seconds. Then hold and collect the midstream urine in the sterile container, and don’t let the collection container touch your body or clothes as it may contaminate the sample.
• Collect about 40-50 ml in the container and seal it securely with its cap.
• Later, you may relieve yourself completely in the toilet. Lastly, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and label the container.
  

Remember that the sample must be handed over to the lab or the concerned person within an hour of collection. 

What Can You Infer From The Report of The Spot Urine Test?

A urine report from a credible lab like Metropolis quintessentially entails several critical metrics like the concentration of glucose, RBCs, pus cells, protein, creatinine, etc. in the provided urine sample. The report will typically mention the observed concentration as well as the normal range of these parameters for you to compare. 

Typically, in the urine protein test or urine creatinine test, a high level of protein (albumin) or creatinine beyond the normal range indicate issues related to the kidney, or chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc. But, it is recommended you let your doctor derive the outcome rather than you jumping to conclusions.

Nonetheless, here is mentioned the normal range of a few parameters that are usually looked for in the spot urine test.

• The normal range for RBCs in the urine is up to four RBCs per HPF (high-power field)
• The normal range for pus cells in the one-time urine sample is 0-5.
• Spot Urine Protein Normal Range is typically 0 to 10 mg/dL(milligrams per deciliter).
• Spot Urine Creatinine Normal Range is around 20 – 320 mg/dL in men and 20 – 275 mg/dL in women. 
• A less than 5 mIU/mL of hCG level is considered negative while a level of hCG below 25 mIU/mL is considered positive for pregnancy. Your doctor could advise you to repeat the urine test, followed by a blood test and other tests to establish pregnancy if your hCG level is between 6 and 24 mIU/mL.
  

Note: Ranges may vary between laboratories and you will find most healthcare providers and clinics recommending Metropolis for the high accuracy and precision in reports.

What Happens After The Test?

Your doctor would analyze the report for various parameters and suggest further tests that might include the 24-hour urine test, blood tests, etc. to derive an appropriate conclusion and start with the medications.