CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

CHAPTER 12: PROCEDURES FOR URINALYSIS AND BODY FLUIDS 291
Table 12-2 Common Causes of Abnormal Urine Colors
Color
Causative Factors
Abnormal Colors Due to Foods
Red
Ingestion of beets, rhubarb (especially in alkaline urine)
Yellow to orange
Carrots and other vegetables containing carotene, vitamins Some
antibiotics
Abnormal Colors Due to Medications
Orange-red
Pyridium
Green or blue-green
Amitryptiline, some other drugs
Brown to brown-black Methyldopa, metronidazole (Flagyl)
Abnormal Colors Due to Conditions of Disease
Clear red
Muscle-wasting diseases where myoglobin is excreted
Autoimmune disease that destroys fresh red blood cells
Wine red
Porphyria (excess precursors to hemoglobin production)
Cloudy red
Hematuria due to presence of intact red blood cells
Cloudy brown
Hematuria due to old red blood cells
Dark yellow or green-brown Liver disease causing excess bilirubin in urine
Dark brown to black
Metabolic diseases producing melanin, homogentisic acid
Hematuria with hemoglobin in acid urine
Protozoal diseases such as some types of malaria
Conditions That Affect Urinalysis Values
Pathological (disease) conditions and environmental conditions will both affect
urinalysis findings. Proper education and training about handling specimens and
supplies, and an awareness of conditions that may affect results which should
be taken into account, are presented in Table 12-2. Colors other than pale to
moderately clear may indicate pathology or may be due to ingestion of any
number of foods and medications, including over-the-counter preparations. The
beginning laboratory technician or technologist should refer to this table until
the principles are understood and remembered.
Supplies and Equipment for Urinalysis and
Other Body Fluid Procedures
Some representative simple urinalysis procedures are provided in the remainder of
this chapter. Completion of these procedures for the list of 10 standard urinalysis
components will require specific supplies and equipment. The tests are performed
with the use of kits for each of the procedures, and these kits will contain many of
the supply items needed. The instructor will provide urine samples procured from a
medical facility or will have students produce their own specimens.
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