URINE TEST · SMART CARE POLYCLINIC, DEIRA
Urine Test explained
Screens a urine sample for infection, blood, protein and sugar — findings the blood tests would miss.
What the Urine Test measures
Checks a sample for things that should not normally be in it: white cells and nitrites, which suggest infection; blood; protein; sugar; and ketones. Quick, no needle, and it finds several things a blood panel does not. A positive dipstick is a prompt to look further rather than an answer — the common causes of a false positive are well described.1
What the result tells you
White cells and nitrites together
The usual signature of a urinary tract infection. They can be present without symptoms, which matters in pregnancy and in diabetes.
Protein is the early warning
The earliest sign of kidney damage in diabetes and high blood pressure — it appears well before creatinine moves.
One positive is not a diagnosis
Fever, exercise and standing all day each cause protein temporarily, so a first positive is repeated rather than acted on.
Invisible blood
Can come from something as ordinary as a period or a recent infection, or from something needing investigation. Followed up, but not a cause for alarm.
How to prepare
- Fasting
- Not needed
- Best time
- Any time — a first-morning sample is the most concentrated
- Worth knowing
- A mid-stream sample is best: start passing urine, then collect the middle part. If you are on your period the sample is usually deferred.
What can move the result
A result outside the usual range does not on its own mean something is wrong. These are the everyday explanations a doctor considers first.
Packages that include it
Frequently asked questions
Checks a sample for things that should not normally be in it: white cells and nitrites, which suggest infection; blood; protein; sugar; and ketones. Quick, no needle, and it finds several things a blood panel does not. A positive dipstick is a prompt to look further rather than an answer — the common causes of a false positive are well described. White cells and nitrites together: The usual signature of a urinary tract infection. They can be present without symptoms, which matters in pregnancy and in diabetes.
Fasting: Not needed. Best time: Any time — a first-morning sample is the most concentrated. A mid-stream sample is best: start passing urine, then collect the middle part. If you are on your period the sample is usually deferred.
Commonly: a urinary tract infection, with or without symptoms; menstruation at the time of the sample; vigorous exercise in the previous day; dehydration, which concentrates everything; uncontrolled diabetes, which puts sugar into the urine. A single result is not a diagnosis. Values are read against the laboratory's own reference range and alongside your history, your symptoms and the rest of the panel — which is why every package includes a doctor to go through them with you.
At Smart Care Polyclinic, 29 Doha Centre, Al Maktoum Rd, Deira, Dubai. It is included in the Smart Essential Health, the Smart Total Health, the Smart Total Health 360°, the Smart Extra Health, the Full Pregnancy Package, the 1st Trimester Pregnancy Package, the Diabetic Panel, the Obstetrics Panel, or it can be ordered on its own. Walk in during opening hours or call +971 (0)4 379 3562.
Sources
Written from current guidance and reviewed 31 August 2026.
Sources cited above
- Hitzeman N, Greer D, Carpio E. Office-Based Urinalysis: A Comprehensive Review. American Family Physician. 2022;106(1):27-35B. PMID 35839369A review of what a urine dipstick and microscopy can show, and the common causes of a false positive.
Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.
- UrinalysisMedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine
- Albuminuria and CKD evaluationKidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)
- Urine testsNHS