What Does It Mean When Amorphous Urates Are Found in Urinalysis?
Amorphous urates are crystals that are commonly found in the urine of healthy individuals, according to Lab Tests Online. They usually develop as a result of the refrigeration process of the urine sample and don’t have any diagnostic implications, notes Med-Health.net.
Crystals are the solid form of substances that are usually dissolved in the urine, according to Lab Tests Online. They form in the urine if the urine pH is too acidic or basic, the concentration of dissolved substances is high, or the urine temperature leads to their formation. Besides amorphous urates, other crystals may be found in a healthy person’s urine, including crystalline uric acid, calcium oxalates, amorphous phosphates and calcium carbonate. X-ray dye and certain medications and drugs may also form crystals in the urine.
The presence of certain crystals in urine, such as cystine, tyrosine and leucine, is abnormal and usually indicates a medical problem. Crystals may also form inside the kidney while urine is being produced, according to Lab Tests Online. If these crystals group together, they form a kidney stone, or calculi. Kidney stones can cause extreme pain if they become stuck in the kidney or the ureters, which are tubes that drain urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
