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Urine Re and CS stand for urine routine examination and urine culture sensitivity test. Learn about what’s involved
Urine Re and CS stand for urine routine examination and urine culture sensitivity test:
- Urine Re, or urinalysis:
- Analyzes a urine sample for its appearance, concentration, and content
- Used for detecting a wide range of health issues, including:
- Urine CS, or urine culture sensitivity test:
- Identifies the microbes causing urinary infections and to which antibiotic the infectious agent (microbe) is susceptible
- Sample of urine is added to a medium that promotes microbe growth (bacterial or fungal growth):
- Negative culture: No microbial growth
- Positive culture: Microbial growth
What does a urine test involve?
There are usually three parts to a urine test:
1. Visual exam
A visual exam involves inspecting the urine for color and transparency. Some of the abnormalities may include:
- Cloudy urine indicating urine infection
- Red urine indicating the presence of blood
- Foamy urine indicating kidney problems
2. Microscopic exam
A microscopic exam involves examining more detailed aspects of urine that aren’t visible to the naked eye and may check for:
- Red blood cells
- White blood cells or pus
- Bacteria
- Crystals
3. Dipstick test
A dipstick test involves dipping a thin, plastic stick with shreds of chemicals on it into a urine sample. The strip changes color if it detects:
- Acidity
- Protein
- Glucose
- White blood cells
- Bilirubin
- Blood
Why is a urinalysis performed?
Urine Re tests are done for several reasons:
- To check your overall health: A urine test may be recommended as a part of a routine health checkup, pregnancy checkup, pre-surgery preparation, or upon admission to a hospital to check for:
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- To diagnose a medical condition: Your doctor may recommend a urinalysis if you have conditions such as:
- Back pain
- Abdominal pain
- Frequent or painful urination
- Blood in your urine or other urinary problems
- To monitor a medical condition: If you are diagnosed with kidney or urinary tract disease, your doctor may recommend routine urinalysis to monitor your disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
What happens during a urine culture test?
In a urine culture test, a drop of urine is put in a petri dish and stored at body temperature. If bacteria or yeast is present, it will multiply and grow, and the type can be identified by the size, shape, and color. If there are no harmful microbes, the culture is negative, although this doesn’t necessarily rule out infection.
A culture sensitivity goes a step further and helps your doctor determine the type of antibiotic your infection will respond to best.