The effect of storage temperature and time duration on osmolality, protein level and pH of urine

Urine is a biological waste material. It is typically a sterile liquid by-product of the body containing metabolic breakdown products from a wide range of foods, drinks, drugs, environmental contaminants, endogenous waste metabolites and sometimes bacterial by products. It is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra [1]. Urinalysis is the third major in-vitro diagnostic screening test. According to the CLSI GP16A3 guidelines, the recommended time for urine analysis is within 2h of collection [2]. Delay in analysis and storage conditions may affect the accuracy of the results [3, 4, 5]. However, delays in transportation and analysis of urine are common as sometimes samples are collected in peripheral centers and are analyzed in one central laboratory, or due to large number of samples receive to analyze with limited human resources available when it comes to countries like Sri Lanka. Thus, this research was designed to study the impact of time and temperature variations for selected parameters in urine analysis. The study attempts to analyze the impact of time and temperature on osmolality, Protein and pH of urine.