URINE PH

Overview

To detect pH of urine. kidneys play an important role in maintaining the acid-base balance of the body. Assessment of urine pH may be useful in the evaluation of systemic acid-base disorder. If it is greater than 5, then a defect in urine acidification should be considered. Often a urine pH above 8 is suggestive of infection of a urea splitting organism such as Proteus mirabilis. Monitoring of urine pH may also be helpful during therapeutic interventions to either alkalinize the urine (such as for treatment of uric acid nephrolithiasis) or acidify the urine. Finally, when assessing crystalluria, noting the urine pH may be helpful since some crystals have a propensity to form in alkaline urine while others form in relative acidic urine.