Chloride Random Urine

Chloride random urine test is used to measure the amount of chloride present in the urine. It is used to diagnose a condition relating to an imbalance of acids and bases in the body and a condition called as metabolic alkalosis.

What is Metabolic alkalosis?

Metabolic alkalosis is a condition in which pH of the tissues are increased beyond the normal range. Mostly metabolic alkalosis is due to medicines like diuretics. Severe vomiting or suction of stomach contents may lead to metabolic alkalosis condition. Sometimes in a rare condition metabolic alkalosis may be due to Bartter syndrome or Gitelman syndrome or due to low levels of potassium.

What is Chloride?

Chloride is an important mineral and a type of electrolyte which works with other electrolytes like potassium and sodium. Chloride is an electrically charged mineral and helps balance acids and bases in the body. It also moves fluid in and out of the cells. Hence low levels of chloride may lead to dehydration and high levels indicate improper functioning of kidneys.

Why this test is performed?

This test may be recommended to you to detect metabolic alkalosis which has certain symptoms like seizures, muscle stiffness, thinking difficulty, confusion, numbness, slow breathing, muscle cramps, etc. Bartter syndrome and Gitelman syndrome may also lead to metabolic alkalosis. Hence the symptoms of these two syndromes are also considered for chloride random urine test.

• Bartter syndrome symptoms- feeling difficulty in concentrating, feeling thirsty often, weakness of muscles, tiredness, frequent urination, muscle cramps, etc.
• Gitelman syndrome symptoms- frequent urination, pain in the stomach region, vomiting, severe tiredness, fever, muscle cramps in legs and hands, etc.

Precautions:

Medications like diuretics (furosemide, torsemide, hydrochlorothiazide, etc) acetazolamide, corticosteroids, NSAIDs like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, etc, may interfere with test results and causes high levels of chloride in urine. More episodes of vomiting may also affect your test results. Hence inform your doctor or technician about all your current medications and medical conditions prior to the test.

If your test results are higher than the normal chloride random urine test range then it may indicate Bartter syndrome or Gitelman syndrome, dehydration, Addison disease (where adrenal glands do not release enough hormones). If chloride and sodium levels both are high in an individual with restricted salt diet then it indicates that the person is not following the diet. Sometimes higher levels of chloride in urine indicate extremely low levels of potassium.

If your test results are lower than the normal chloride random urine test range then it may indicate lack of chloride in your diet, Cushing syndrome (a condition due to exposure of high levels of cortisol), Conn syndrome (endocrine disorder where excessive aldosterone hormone is secreted by adrenal glands), congestive heart failure, malabsorption, diarrhea, etc.