Question

1. Robertson is a 35‑year‑old male with a family history of kidney stones. Because Robertson reports that he has been experiencing pain in his back and intense pain spasms in his groin, the physician wants to test him for stones. The physician informs Robertson that he needs to collect his urine over a 24‑hour period. This instruction puzzles and annoys Robertson, and he wants to know why it is necessary. As a medical assistant, how do you explain the 24‑hour urine specimen to Robertson?

2. Jennifer thinks she is pregnant and wants to be tested. You inform her that she will need to provide a first‑voided morning specimen. Why is this method used in urine pregnancy testing, and what should the medical assistant explain to her about the test?

3. Edward is at your office for treatment of his allergies; you remind him that you will perform lipid and other tests at his annual physical next month and that he will need to fast after midnight. He wants to know why this is necessary. As a medical assistant, what should you tell him?

Answer 1

1. A 24-hour urine analysis can show if certain substances are found at high concentrations in the urine and might be causing the kidney stones. Kidney stones form because of an imbalance of minerals, salts and water in the urine.

2. The first morning urine typically contains the highest concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the pregnancy hormone. The pregnancy test is done for the presence of hCG. Therefore the Jennifer was advised to collect the first voided urine.

3. The value of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol as well as the levels of triglycerides may be affected by what you've recently eaten. So a fasting night before checking lipid profile, is recommended.