- 1. Contamination of the urine sample
- 2. Urinary infections
- 3. Menopause
- 4. Kidney problems
- Types of epithelial cells
- How to understand the result
The presence of epithelial cells in the urine is considered normal and generally has no clinical relevance, as it indicates that there was a natural desquamation of the urinary tract, causing these cells to be eliminated in the urine.
Despite being considered a normal finding, it is important that the number of epithelial cells found is indicated in the exam and if any alteration was observed in the nucleus or its shape, as they may indicate more serious situations.
The main causes of the appearance of epithelial cells in the urine are:
1. Contamination of the urine sample
The main cause of a greater amount of epithelial cells in the urine is the contamination that can happen at the time of collection, being more common in women. To confirm that it is a contamination and not an infection, for example, the doctor must evaluate all the parameters analyzed in the exam. Normally, when it comes to contamination, the presence of epithelial cells and bacteria can be observed, but rare leukocytes in the urine.
To avoid contamination of the sample, it is recommended to clean the intimate area, discard the first stream of urine to eliminate impurities from the urethra, collect the rest of the urine and take it to the laboratory to be analyzed in a maximum of 60 minutes.
2. Urinary infections
In urinary infections, it is possible to observe in the examination the presence of some or numerous epithelial cells, in addition to the presence of microorganisms and, in some cases, the presence of mucus filaments. In addition, in case of urinary infection, an increased amount of leukocytes may be observed in the urine.
Know other causes of leukocytes in urine.
3. Menopause
Women who are in the post-menopause phase and who have a low amount of circulating estrogen may also have higher amounts of epithelial cells in the urine. Despite this, it is not a risk to women and does not cause symptoms. However, it is important to go to the gynecologist to assess hormone levels and, if necessary, start hormone replacement treatment.
4. Kidney problems
When numerous tubular epithelial cells and epithelial cylinders are visualized, it is indicative of kidney problems, since this type of epithelial cell has a renal origin. The greater the amount of tubular epithelial cells, the greater the degree of kidney damage and the greater the chance of loss of organ functionality.
Usually, in addition to changes in the type 1 urine test, changes in the biochemical tests of urine, such as urea and creatinine, for example, may indicate that there is kidney damage.
Types of epithelial cells
Epithelial cells can be classified according to their place of origin into:
- Squamous epithelial cells, which are the largest epithelial cells, are found more easily in urine, as they originate in the female and male vagina and urethra, and are usually related to sample contamination; Transition epithelial cells, which are the epithelial cells present in the bladder and when found in large quantities can be indicative of urinary tract infection, especially if in addition to epithelial cells a large number of leukocytes is observed; Tubular epithelial cells, which are the cells found in the renal tubules and may appear from time to time in the urine, however due to kidney problems they may appear in the urine in the form of cylinders, which must be indicated in the test result.
Normally in the urine exam there is only an indication of the presence or absence of epithelial cells in the urine, without informing the cell type. However, knowing the type of cell is important to know if there are any changes in the body and, thus, the doctor can start the treatment if necessary.
How to understand the result
In urine examination, the presence or absence of epithelial cells is given as:
- Rare, when up to 3 epithelial cells are found per field analyzed under the microscope; Some, when between 4 and 10 epithelial cells are observed; Numerous, when more than 10 epithelial cells are seen per field.
As in most cases the presence of epithelial cells in the urine has no clinical relevance, it is important that the number of cells is interpreted together with the result of the other parameters observed, such as the presence of mucus filaments, microorganisms, cylinders and crystals, for example. Understand how it is done and what the urine test is for.
