Understanding urine testing

Urine is a natural waste product of the body and urine testing is a simple and quick way of monitoring disease and identifying new illness. The results from a urine test can prompt a change in a patient's medical management. Urine testing is not a new procedure: as far back as the ancient Egyptians there are descriptions of polyuria. In 7th Century AD, Protosharis suggested that it was important to look at the colour of urine and by 1674 Thomas Willis, a professor at Oxford University, recorded that the urine of his patients with diabetes tasted sweet (Beer, 1996).