Contributed by-Healthians Team
What is the urine specific gravity test?
The body produces urine as a way to get rid of waste and additional water that it doesn’t require and the role of the kidney is to concentrate the urine, such that waste materials can be excreted with minimal loss of water and nutrients. The concentration of the discharged molecules determines the urine’s specific gravity.
Urine specific gravity test is used to compare the density of urine to the density of water. More concentrated urine means that the kidneys are not functioning properly or you are not drinking enough water. Less concentrated urine means that you have a rare condition called diabetes insipidus, which causes thirst and the excretion of large amounts of diluted urine.
Who should get a urine specific gravity test?
The kidneys excrete extra water and minerals from the body in the form of urine. When the body needs more water, the kidneys retain water.
A doctor may order a urine specific gravity test if they think that a person is dehydrated or has impaired kidney function, or has a condition like diabetes insipidus.
Why is a urine specific gravity test needed?
The urine specific gravity test is a quick way for your doctor to tell if your kidneys are working well or trying to compensate for some abnormality.
If your doctor suspects you have any of the following conditions, he/she may order a urine specific gravity test:
- Dehydration
- Heart failure
- Diabetes insipidus
- Kidney failure
- Kidney infection
- Urinary tract infection
- Low or elevated sodium levels
What do the test results mean?
Your doctor will use the results from your urine specific gravity test, along with other urinalysis results, for proper diagnosis. Urine specific gravity test evaluates your urine’s overall concentration.
Your doctor diagnoses the disease by looking at the ratio of the density of your urine to the density of water. Urine specific gravity result shows in between 1.002 and 1.030 if your kidneys are working normally.
The results above 1.010 can indicate mild dehydration. The abnormal results can indicate that you have extra substances in your urine, such as:
- Glucose
- Protein
- Bilirubin
- Red blood cells
- White blood cells
- Crystals
- Bacteria
A person may need to stop taking certain medicines before the test, particularly those that contain Sucrose. Apart from it, no special preparations needed for the test.
How is the test done?
A person must clean the urethral area before collecting the urine sample because the skin bacteria can get contaminated with the sample. For the test, your doctor will ask you to collect a sample of your urine. You will be provided with a collection container. A ‘clean catch method’ will also be shared with you to make sure that the sample you collect is sterile. Make sure that you collect at least 30 ml to 60 ml of sample in the container.
After you provide a urine sample, the lab technician marks on the container and sends your urine sample to a lab for testing.
