Urine
Urine screening
Laboratory screening of ten urine parameters, including protein, glucose, blood cells, nitrite, pH and specific gravity. You collect the sample at home.
€ 35,00
All tests
Urine tests · Urine
pH
The acidity of the urine; depends mainly on diet and says little about the acidity of the body.
At a glance
- Measured in urine
- In 1 test panel
- Check the preparation
Explanation
pH: what is measured?
The pH shows how acidic or alkaline the urine is. The kidneys keep the acidity of the blood within narrow limits by excreting acids or bases in the urine; as a result, the pH of the urine fluctuates much more than that of the blood. A urine pH mainly reflects what you have eaten and drunk in the past few hours.
What can it detect?
- The effect of diet: a lot of meat makes the urine more acidic, a lot of vegetables and fruit more alkaline
- A urinary tract infection with bacteria that make the urine alkaline, such as Proteus
- A clue when looking for the cause of kidney stones
Result
What does the result mean?
pH too high
A high (alkaline) pH is usually caused by a plant-based diet with a lot of vegetables and fruit, by collecting the sample shortly after a meal, or by the urine standing for a long time. It can also fit a urinary tract infection with bacteria that break down urea, such as Proteus; certain kidney stones can form as a result. Rarely: a condition in which the kidneys do not excrete acid properly (renal tubular acidosis).
pH too low
A low (acidic) pH is usually caused by a lot of meat, fish or protein in the diet, fasting, heavy exercise or dehydration. Acidic urine also occurs with diabetes with ketones and with gout; acidic urine increases the chance of uric acid stones. Acidic urine does not mean the body is 'acidified': the acidity of the blood is regulated much more tightly.
After an abnormal result
An abnormal pH on its own usually does not lead to further tests. The GP looks at the combination with other results, such as nitrite and leukocytes when an infection is suspected. With recurring kidney stones, the pH can be taken into account when looking for the cause.
Reliability
How reliable is the test?
A urine dipstick is a quick screening and not a diagnosis. According to the Dutch GP guideline (NHG) on urinary tract infections, the dipstick is a first step with symptoms that fit a bladder infection; if in doubt, a culture or sediment test follows. For detecting kidney damage, the dipstick is less sensitive than the albumin-creatinine ratio in urine and the eGFR in blood; the NHG guideline on chronic kidney damage is based on those. In people without symptoms, most abnormal dipstick results are temporary or harmless; a single abnormal result therefore says little.
What can affect the result?
- Sample collection: preferably use first morning urine or urine that has been in the bladder for at least 4 hours, and after washing, catch the middle part of the stream (midstream), so that no discharge or skin bacteria get into it.
- Menstruation, and the days before and after it, often gives a positive result for blood and sometimes for leukocytes and protein; it is better to collect at another time.
- Vitamin C (supplements or a lot of fruit juice) can suppress the reaction for blood, glucose, nitrite and bilirubin and give a false negative result.
- Heavy exercise, fever and dehydration in the day before sample collection can temporarily cause protein, blood or ketones. Urine that has been standing for a long time or has become warm gives less reliable results, especially for nitrite, bilirubin, urobilinogen and pH.
Preparation
- Preferably use the first morning urine, or urine that has been in your bladder for at least 4 hours.
- Collect the middle part of the stream.
- Do not collect urine during your period.
Who it is for
Who is the test useful for?
Useful for
Useful with symptoms that may fit a bladder infection, such as frequent and painful urination, or as a simple addition to blood tests for the kidneys, sugar or liver. For detecting kidney damage in diabetes or high blood pressure, the albumin-creatinine ratio in urine says more than the dipstick. In people without symptoms and without risk factors, the chance of a harmless abnormality is greater than the chance of a real condition.
How common is it?
Bladder infection is one of the most common infections in women; in men it is much less common. Chronic kidney damage occurs in about 1 in 10 adults, usually without symptoms. In people without symptoms, an abnormality on the dipstick is found in some, usually without a serious cause.
NHG guideline on urinary tract infections; NHG guideline on chronic kidney damage
Get tested
pH: test panels
pH is part of these test panels. You order online and have your blood drawn at a collection point or collect the sample at home.
Evidence
Sources
This explanation is based on Dutch guidelines and independent information. It is general information, not a diagnosis. Discuss an abnormal result with your GP.
More about risks and resultsMore explanations
Other tests: Urine tests
- Bilirubin
- Erythrocytes and free hemoglobin
- Glucose
- Ketones
- Leukocytes
- Nitrite
- Protein
- Specific gravity
- Urobilinogen