White blood cells are the specialized cells in the blood responsible for fighting infections and providing the body with immunity. The kidneys filter about 200 quarts of blood a day, according to The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases...
White blood cells, or WBCs, are not normally found in the urinary tract. Urine is normally sterile and contains no blood cells, so the presence of WBCs in a urine sample indicates inflammation or infection within the urinary tract or kidney. The...
Coffee won’t cause white blood cells in urine, but it should be avoided if that’s what a urinalysis reveals. White blood cells in urine indicate a possible urinary tract infection. If you have a urinary tract infection, you should...
According to MedlinePlus, urinalysis is the medical examination of urine involving evaluation of the urine's color and appearance, observing the urine under a microscope and chemical analysis using a test strip called a dipstick. The presence of...
Hematuria refers to the presence of red blood cells (RBCs) in the urine. This is called frank hematuria if the blood is very obvious, and microhematuria if the red blood cells can only be seen under a microscope. The presence of red blood cells in...
Leukocytes are white blood cell that can be found in urine in cases of pyuria. The urinary system consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Normally only a few white blood cells are found in urine. However, certain conditions can...
Years ago, physicians would taste your urine to check for diabetes. Of course, that is no longer done, but an analysis of your urine is still important. It is not only vital if you have kidney disease, the organ that makes urine, or if you suffer...
The liver is the largest organ within the human body, and it has many functions. It removes toxins, stores iron and makes bile, plasma proteins and clotting factors. The two kidneys make vitamin D and the erythropoietin hormone, eliminate waste,...
Your urine can turn red as a result of certain medications, as a symptom of a disease called porphyria, owing to the presence of myoglobin protein normally found in your muscles, or from consuming food coloring, rhubarb or even beets. When the...
Urine analysis is commonly called urinalysis. You provide a urine specimen to your doctor, who in turn sends it to a lab to be analyzed. The most routine type of urinalysis involves a dipstick test in which an indicator stick is dipped into the...
Strenuous exercise can cause hematuria, or blood in the urine. While it can occur with any type of activity, runners are particularly prone to this problem, according to MayoClinic.com. In most cases, it is no cause for concern but see a doctor to...
Bladder carcinoma is a form of cancer that originates in your bladder (your body's receptacle for urine). An abnormal growth of cells usually forms on the inner lining of your bladder. Some risk factors for developing bladder carcinoma include...
Overactive bladder may be caused by a neurological condition resulting in involuntary bladder contractions, and while the symptoms may be similar to a bladder infection there are a number of important differences that will need to be identified...
Most people have some sediment in their urine. Whether this is normal depends upon what is in the sediment and how much sediment is present. Sediment in urine consists of cells, debris and other solid material. When a patient provides a urine...
While some cases of blood in your urine can be indicative of serious conditions, such as kidney problems, many instances occur as a result of taking aspirin or prescribed medication or engaging in strenuous exercise. While vitamin B-12 deficiency...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, results from a 2008 national health survey show that 3.7 million American adults have renal disease. This figure does not include people who are in the hospital receiving treatment for...
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus--HCV. The infection causes swelling or inflammation of the liver that in turn prevents its major function of eliminating waste products such as alcohol from the body. Hepatitis C can...
Urinalysis is a laboratory tool used by health care professionals to screen for a variety of metabolic and kidney conditions, including urinary tract infections. It can be used as part of a routine physical evaluation or if the person has symptoms...
Cystitis is the clinical term for inflammation of the bladder. This kind of disorder can be the result of bacteria traveling up through urinary tract and colonizing the walls of the bladder. Bacterial cystitis is itself not a serious medical...
The prostate gland has the shape and size of a walnut, and is located right underneath the urinary bladder. The gland secretes a milky fluid which becomes part of the fluid that holds the sperm. Because the sperm cannot move well in an acidic...
The most common type of kidney tumor in America is a renal cell carcinoma, and the number of cases has been increasing. As of 2007, there were approximately 51,000 cases and 8,000 deaths every year from renal cancer, according to David Swanson,...
Unfortunately, as of 2010, there are no reporting requirements for lupus, so the number of patients is not precisely known. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that between 322,000 to possibly over a million people in the United States were...
A UTI, or urinary tract infection, is an infection of the urinary tract, which is made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Urine is filtered by the kidneys to the ureters, which in turn fill the bladder. The bladder is emptied of...
Hematuria means having red blood cells in your urine. You can have gross hematuria or microscopic hematuria. Gross hematuria means you can see that your urine is bloody or red. In microscopic hematuria, you won't be able to tell that there is...
The kidneys are highly specialized organs, which contain a number of advanced cell types that work together to filter the blood. Disruption of kidney functioning can occur as a result of kidney cancer, or other kidney disease. There are a number...
If you've been a runner for a long time but suddenly get bladder pain when running, its understandable that you would be concerned. Several potential conditions, including an infection and a chronic condition called interstitial cystitis, could be...
Cranberry use dates back to the pre-colonial era when Native Americans used it as a food and medicine to treat a variety of ailments, such as appetite loss, digestive disorders, and bladder problems. It is now best known as a possible treatment to...
Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract and ascending to the bladder and through the ureters (tubes which carry urine from the kidneys). It is one of the most common types of renal diseases, and is also...
The perineum is the area extending from the anus to the vaginal orifice in women and from the anus to the back of the scrotum in men. Rich in nerve endings, the strip of skin between the anus and testicles is an area in which men may feel...
A UTI or urinary tract infection is any infection of the urinary tract like the bladder. Get expert tips and advice on preventing, diagnosing, and treating a UTI in this video.
