What is pyuria?

pyuria translates like pus in urine, which in fact means that in a person's urine it is higher than the expected concentration of white blood cells. There are many reasons why this condition may occur. A basic diagnosis of pyuria can mean the symptoms of this high number of white blood cells in the urine could vary significantly.

To diagnose high white blood, the most common test is urine analysis. People give urine sample, usually simply urinating in a sterile cup or other collection equipment and laboratories evaluate it in many ways. If they find that the number of white blood cells is very high, which often causes urine to look cloudy or milky, then the laboratory would inform a doctor who ordered the test. Based on other findings and possibly other tests performed at the same time, doctors are looking for potential causes of the condition.

One of the most common causes of pyuria is the urinary tract infection (UTI) that can affect the bladder, kidney or osher part of the urinary tracty. The high presence of white blood cells can say that the body uses its natural defense to fight infection. The main treatment of UTI is antibiotics that can help in the fight to destroy bacteria.

There are other bacterial infections that could be indicated by pyuria. People with certain sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea or chlamydia may, as a result, sometimes infections in the urinary tract. Other diseases such as tuberculosis may cause bacteria in the kidneys or bladder to proliferate and can result in a high number of white blood cells in the urine.

Sometimes stones in the bladder, urea or kidneys increase white blood counts. Alternatively, organs or structures in the pelvic region create a chain reaction of white cells observable in the urine. Even some parasitic infections such as trichomoniasis and condition can be found in a patient with pneumonia.

Due to many causes of pyuria, doctors may not fully rely on this test for complete diagnosis. Although it is a sign that something is wrong, it does not identify the cause. Sometimes other physical findings in the examination lead a doctor directly to an accurate diagnosis, but in other cases doctors will have to perform additional tests or tests to find out what pyuria really means. There are clear cases where pyuria simply suggests a UTI that can be treated with antibiotics, but other people may need further testing to get a more accurate diagnosis of the basic cause.

A wide range of potential causes suggests that it may be difficult for people to know if they are sick. Some signs of possible pyuria are milk or cloudy urine and indications of infection such as fever. Unfortunately, people with direct diseases such as infection of bacterial urinary tract are often as amptomatic and do not have to notice any difference in the appearance of urine.