The condition of debris, cells, and other substances occurring in urine is referred to as sediment in urine. The varied kinds of sediment are usually produced in different parts of the urinary system like the kidneys and bladder, etc.
Symptoms associated with sediment in urine include burning sensations during urination, painful urination, etc.
Sediment in urine is tested during a urinalysis, which involves spinning the urine specimen in a spinning machine and then microscopically examining its contents.
Sediment in urine can occur due to a variety of causes, including underlying conditions like kidney stones, Urinary Tract Infection/UTI, liver problems, and bladder stones, etc.
The condition is common and minor amount of sediment in urine is normal. Excessive sediment in urine is however indicative of serious underlying ailment which requires medical diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms
Sediment in urine may occur with the below discussed signs and symptoms:
- Desire to pass urine on a frequent basis with no known cause
- Foamy, cloudy, and/or frothy urine
- Pain when passing urine
- Burning sensations during urination
- Pink, reddish, or brownish urine
- Uncommonly, patients may suffer from pain in the lower back region
Causes of sediment in urine
Sediment in urine is caused due to the below listed factors and underlying diseases:
- Liver problems: Bilirubin can occur as part of sediment in urine. It is a kind of protein produced by liver and eliminated from body along with urine. Presence of bilirubin in urine can be indicative of liver diseases, blockage of bile ducts, or hemolyis. Non-treatment can cause jaundice in patient.
- Diabetes: Diabetes is a condition in which patients exhibit high levels of blood glucose. Excess sugar from body gets passed into urine and may occur as part of sediment in urine. Diabetics as well as starvation can trigger the breakdown of fat, instead of sugars, for creation of energy for the body. As a result of this abnormality, ketones also get formed as a byproduct and get passed into urine as sediment.
- Conditions affecting the urinary tract: Different urinary system conditions like UTIs, proteinuria, etc. can cause the release of different components of sediment in urine like leukocytes, protein, WBCs, bacteria, etc. UTIs are mainly associated with passage of bacteria into urine, while the condition of protein in urine is known as proteinuria. The latter can occur due to varied causes like hypertension, kidney malfunction or infections, diabetes, etc.
- Bladder stones: Bladder stones can occur due to the following reasons:
- As men age, there may be enlargement of the prostate gland which triggers compression of the urethra. A compressed urethra thus cannot freely pass out all the urine. The urine that remains accumulates in the bladder and later turns into hard crystallized bladder stones. These stones then get removed from body as sediment in urine.
- Different factors like inflamed pelvic region, usage of bladder catheters, use of certain forms of birth control devices, and radiation therapies, etc., can increase the susceptibility to formation of bladder stones.
- Weakening of bladder pressure, damaged bladder nerves, bladder diverticula, and other kinds of bladder problems can hamper the free flow of urine in women. The urine that remains in the bladder also become stones which then get eliminated as sediment in urine.
- In some cases, kidney stones may migrate via ureters to the bladder.
- Casts in urine: Parts of cells, different cells with irregular size or shape, dead cells, or crud can be termed as casts. When casts occur in urine as sediment then it may be indicative of some serious underlying illness; hence immediate medical care is needed.
- Hematuria or red blood cells in urine: RBCs can also occur as sediment in urine; in fact it is quite common. Bloody urine can occur due to different factors like glomeruli problems, kidney ailments, growth of tumors in the urinary system, renal infarcts, and urinary tract infections, etc. Other uncommon causes of hematuria are physical trauma/damage to the urinary tract, migration of kidney stones via ureters into bladder, and/or excessive urinary catheters use.
Treatment of sediment in urine
If sediment in urine is detected via a urine test, then doctors will suggest further tests to diagnose the underlying causative condition and/or factors. Once it is determined, doctors will offer relevant treatment, a few of which are listed below:
- Kidney and bladder stones are treated with medicines and/or surgery
- UTIs are treated with pain killers, antibiotics, and other drugs
- Liver diseases can be treated with medications. Organ transplantation may be needed for severe diseased liver. Patients need quit drinking alcohol to prevent any further damage to the organ.
- Eating a healthy balanced diet, regular exercising, and drinking lots of water can help prevent cases of sediment in urine.
