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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Bladder infections, or urinary tract infections, are a common medical condition. Unfortunately, when you have this type of infection, it is best to see a doctor. There are many myths and self-help cures for bladder infections that may do little to...
Around 20 percent of women have at least one urinary tract infection in their lives and 3 percent suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections, Darren Lynch, M.D., of Beth Israel Medical Center reports in the December 2004 issue of the "American...
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is defined as the presence of bacteria in the urine along with symptoms of infection like frequent and painful urination, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and back pain. According to the information published by 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...
According MedLinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, urine usually has some sort of scent to it. Drinking sufficient amount of fluids in a day usually keeps your urine odor free. Moreover, stinky urine does not necessarily mean something is wrong. But at...
Often referred to as TB, tuberculosis is a dangerous and highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While TB usually affects the lungs, it can also infect other parts of the body including the spine, brain and...
Chronic kidney disease, also known as renal failure, is defined as low glomerular filtratation rate (GFR), a term used to describe kidney function, for more than 3 months, according to Justin Glass, M.D., of Emory Family Medicine. Stage 3 chronic...
A urine sample is a common medical procedure that can be done to test for a urinary tract infection, white blood cells, protein in the urine, bacteria, pregnancy, the urine's pH, glucose and many other things. Depending on what the doctor needs to...
Bladder infections are common in children and are more prevalent in girls due to a shorter urethra, which makes it easier for bacteria to enter the urinary tract. According to the Nemours Foundation, E. coli is most commonly responsible for...
The kidneys secrete hormones, reabsorb substances, convert vitamin D to its active form, keep the right amount of bases and acids in the blood and remove wastes. One waste product that must be excreted is urea. Ammonia, from the metabolism of...
The prostate is a small reproductive gland located in front of the rectum and below the bladder in men. Its main purpose is the production and secretion of semen, the fluid that carries sperm during sexual climax. As a man ages, the prostate...
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) reports E. coli is the most frequent cause of urinary tract infections among Americans. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common ailment affecting all age groups of...
Pyelonephritis---the medical term used to describe an infection within the kidneys---occurs when pathogenic bacteria invade the kidneys. This infection is most frequently caused by an untreated bladder infection (urinary tract infection) in which...
Kidney stones, also known as renal calculi, are crystal deposits that form in the kidneys. Five percent of women and 10 percent of men have a kidney stone by age 70, and many will have more than one episode, according to the University of...
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...
The human bladder is a small sterile pouch within the lower abdomen that stores excess fluid waste until it is excreted from the body as urine. A UTI---or urinary tract infection---is a condition that develops when bacteria enters the bladder....
The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. The prostate is situated just in front of the rectum, and below the urinary bladder. In young men, the prostate is about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the tube that carries urine...
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.