Epithelial Cells in Urine

Urinalysis can be simply explained as the analysis of urine. This test can provide valuable information, regarding the health condition of the patient. While, urinalysis is conducted to find out the diseases of the urinary system, it may also come up with some information, that can point towards other diseases. So, urinalysis is also conducted as a part of routine health checkups. In most cases, both macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the urine is conducted. Macroscopic analysis records those properties, that are visible to naked eye, like, the urine color, clarity, presence of clots, sediments, cloudiness, etc. Dipstick analysis can also be conducted to find out the presence of proteins, blood, nitrites, etc. in the urine as well as to figure out its pH and gravity. Microscopic analysis is the study of urine under the microscope. This helps in detecting the exact amount of red blood cells, white blood cells, epithelial cells, presence of bacteria or any other microorganism, etc. in the urine. What does the presence of epithelial cells in urine indicate? Let us take a look at the various aspects of epithelial cells in urine.

What are Epithelial Cells

Epithelial tissue is one of the important types of tissues in the human body. While, the skin is composed of epithelial tissues, most of the inner body cavities and organs are lined by epithelial tissues. Epithelial tissue is made of epithelial cells and there are different types of these cells. The urinary tract is also lined with epithelial tissues and so, it is normal to find some of these cells in the urine. These cells are detected in the urine during microscopic urinalysis. However, the exact quantity of the cells is identified during the microscopic analysis of the urine sediment, which is often done as the last step of the urinalysis. The urine sample is transferred to a test tube, which is put in a spinning machine for a few minutes. After spinning, the test tube will contain a top liquid part and some sediments at the bottom. The liquid part is removed and the sediments are examined under a microscope, to identify casts, epithelial cells, urine crystals, bacteria, etc.

Epithelial Cells in Urinalysis

As far as the urinary tract is concerned, there are three types of epithelial cells, called, squamous, transitional and renal tubular cells. While squamous epithelial cells are found on the skin, in the vagina and outer parts of the urethra, transitional ones are located in the bladder, ureter and renal pelvis. Renal tubular cells are found in the nephrons of the kidney. As per microscopic analysis of the urine sediment, the epithelial cells in the urine are classified as per the type and quantity. The quantity is given as 'occasional', 'moderate', 'few' or many. As mentioned above, the presence of a few epithelial cells, especially, the squamous and transitional ones are considered as normal in both men and women. Presence of renal tubular cells are not normal and in large numbers, can be a sign of some serious kidney problem. Even large numbers of transitional cells can be an indication of serious conditions. Large numbers of squamous epithelial cells in urinalysis may also be due to contamination of the urine. The most common causes of epithelial cells in urine are infections, inflammation and malignancies. However, your health care provider can read the results of urinalysis and diagnose the problem. Thus, determining the type and quantity of epithelial cells in the urine will help in diagnosing the condition. For example, many transitional epithelial cells in urinalysis can be due to bladder infection.

In short, many epithelial cells in urinalysis can be a cause of concern. Now, you have a basic understanding about the presence of epithelial cells in urine. If your routine urine test comes up with any such results, contact your doctor the earliest.