Leukocytes in the urine
and Martina Feichter, medical editor and biologistDr. med. Andrea Reiter is a freelance writer for the medical editorial team.
More about the expertsMartina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.
The number of leukocytes in the urine is determined in order to diagnose a possible urinary tract infection. Occasionally, however, an increased number of leukocytes can be detected in the urine of other diseases. Here you can read everything you need to know about the increased occurrence of white blood cells in the urine!
What is leukocyturia?
Usually there are only a few white blood cells (leukocytes) in the urine. In the case of larger amounts, the doctor speaks of leukocyturia. The normal limit is around five leukocytes per microliter of spontaneous urine.
White blood cells in urine: cause
An increased amount of leukocytes in the urine usually indicates an inflammatory disease of the kidneys and / or the urinary tract. The leukocytes in the urine, as defense cells of the immune system, previously had the task of removing bacterial pathogens from the kidneys, urinary bladder or urethra. They were then excreted in the urine. The bacterial pathogens are usually found in the urine at the same time.
However, leukocyturia does not only occur with a urinary tract infection. Inflammation of the prostate or epididymis as well as gynecological diseases can lead to leukocyturia.
Sometimes the urine has too many white blood cells but no bacteria. Doctors then speak of “sterile leukocyturia”. The reason can be, for example, urogenital tuberculosis - that is, tuberculosis of the kidneys, urinary tract and genital organs. However, it can also only appear to be sterile leukocyturia: This is, for example, a urinary tract infection the case that is already being treated with antibiotics or that is caused by bacteria that are difficult to grow (such as chlamydia or ureaplasma).
How do you determine the leukocytes in the urine?
A urine sample must be taken to determine the number of white blood cells in the urine. Patients should catch the so-called central stream of urine. A test strip can be used to find out relatively quickly whether there are more leukocytes in the urine. However, this test strip can only detect a certain subgroup of leukocytes (granulocytes). In addition, the method is quite prone to failure. The determination of the leukocytes in the urine sediment is therefore more reliable. The other subgroups of leukocytes in the urine (such as lymphocytes) are also recorded.
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