Urinalysis Results in Healthy Individuals
Urinalysis Results in Healthy Individuals
This is a prospective, observational study assessing the results of urine dipsticks on adult
 volunteers with no acute symptoms. We seek to determine the frequency of leukocytes or
 nitrites in this group of individuals.
The urinalysis (UA) is one of the most commonly utilized tests in the emergency department
 (ED). In some busy EDs, a UA is routinely ordered by protocol on patients with abdominal
 pain, and in elderly patients, a UA is often ordered for a variety of chief complaints
 including dizziness and altered mental status. When these patients, who often do not
 specifically have symptoms of a urinary tract infection, have a urinalysis demonstrating
 pyuria or bacteria, it may be interpreted as an atypical presentation of a UTI. However, it
 is possible that these patients do not have urinary tract infections, but have baseline
 pyuria or bacteriuria. One prior study found that 5% of sexually active healthy women 18-40
 have asymptomatic bacteriuria [1], and the rate of asymptomatic bacteriuria increases with
 age, such that it is present in 8-10% of women from 70-80 years of age [2]. Moreover, one
 prior article stated that 30-50% of residents of long term nursing facilities have positive
 urine cultures at any given time [3].

 The above statistics come from the results of urine cultures. In the ED, the decision to
 treat or not treat a patient for a UTI is not made based upon culture results, but upon a
 urinalysis (microscopic or dipstick). Only one prior study has looked at the frequency of
 abnormal urinalyses in healthy individuals, and it found that over a third of asymptomatic
 women had at least 1+ leukocytes in their urine [4]. This is evidence that a substantial
 number of people who do not have symptomatic UTIs have UAs that could be interpreted as UTIs.
 If these results could be replicated and expanded to include a wider group of individuals
 (males, elderly patients, various races, etc.), it would provide valuable information about
 how we can better interpret and utilize the results of a UA.

 Thus, the investigators propose a prospective study to assess the frequency of abnormal UAs
 in a wide variety of individuals without acute symptoms.

 Urine samples will be obtained from adults with no acute symptoms, and performed urine
 dipsticks to assess the frequency of leukocytes or nitrites in the urine. Patients will be
 divided into groups to determine if there are certain factors (gender, age, or medical
 history) that increase the chance of having leukocytes or nitrites in the urine.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Age > 18 years

 -  Able to spontaneously provide a urine sample

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Any acute symptoms (including but not limited to vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge,
 abdominal pain, back pain, dysuria, hematuria, and fever)

 -  Pregnancy

 -  Prisoner status

 -  Antibiotics within 72 hours

 -  Urologic procedure within a week