Urine Test

J

jpmills

Guest
Nice new web board! It's a very refreshing change from the AOPA board.

Question for the AMEs...what do you guys test for during the medical urine test? I assume illegal narcotics, but how detailed does it get? Like almost every human I occasionally get a cold and do suffer from some minor seasonal allergies. I always obey the FAA regs regarding use of medication when flying (wait period for Actifed, for example), but do I need to avoid Actifed, for example, when I go in for my 3rd class medical?

Are the tests for 2nd and 1st Class different?
 
They don't test for drugs.
Its a glucose, protein, bilirubin specific gravity, etc etc test of the health of your kidneys and other organs - not a illegal drug test.
Im not an AME or even an MD.
 
jpmills said:
Nice new web board! It's a very refreshing change from the AOPA board.

Question for the AMEs...what do you guys test for during the medical urine test?
Click to expand...

The exam looks for protein in the urine. That's a real bad sign for kidneys...diabetic kidneys and a host of other kidney diseases are picked up this way.

It looks for sugar in your urine. Don,t eat a lot of sugar in the 3 hours before your exam. For about an hour after (if you're normal) you and come up postiive.

For drugs- we look for behavioral things. And inside your nose....and we do look.

Senior AME/ATP/CFI
 
bbchien said:
It looks for sugar in your urine. Don,t eat a lot of sugar in the 3 hours before your exam. For about an hour after (if you're normal) you and come up postiive.
Click to expand...

I hate to reopen such an old thread, but why start a new one?

I got some urinalysis test strips from CVS called "Keto-Diastix" that test glucose and ketone. The glucose "pad" reads out in colors labled like this:

Negative % 1/10 1/4 1/2 1 2 or more
Negative mg/dL 100 250 500 1000 2000 or more

It isn't clear to me in the data sheet where the deviding line really is between acceptable and "oh crap". Is any color change at all a danger sign?
 

Attachments

  • Glucose.jpg
    Glucose.jpg
    14.3 KB · Views: 1,344
Theo,
Yes any glucose in the urine is a bad sign. In general blood glucose must be pretty high before the kidneys start to help eliminate it.

If your urine shows positive, I'd suggest seeing your physician. If you're the do it yourself to be sure, borrow the blood test from a diabetic you know and take a fasting blood sugar reading in the morning.

I'm not a doctor, this is friendly advice not medical advice.
Joe
 
I knew this, but it begs another question: while I understand the value of looking for undiagnosed kidney problems per se, how did this come to be a priority for the FAA... particularly as opposed to (chemical) testing for narcotics or abuse of prescription meds (or medication for an unreported problem)?
 
N5571Q said:
I hate to reopen such an old thread, but why start a new one?

I got some urinalysis test strips from CVS called "Keto-Diastix" that test glucose and ketone. The glucose "pad" reads out in colors labled like this:

Negative % 1/10 1/4 1/2 1 2 or more
Negative mg/dL 100 250 500 1000 2000 or more

It isn't clear to me in the data sheet where the deviding line really is between acceptable and "oh crap". Is any color change at all a danger sign?
Click to expand...

The kidneys only spill glucose into the urine when the glucose level is excessive. I was under the impression that happened when the blood glucose level was somewhere above 200... and normal non diabetics are under 100..

So.. any detectable level of glucose in the urine is cause for further investigation.

Diabetic's using them as a poor mans glucometer can be tricky and inaccurate, and I've taken care of more than one poorly controlled diabetic as a result in my EMS days. Urine test strips are cheap.. glucometer supplies arent.. especially when uninsured.
 
rottydaddy said:
I knew this, but it begs another question: while I understand the value of looking for undiagnosed kidney problems per se, how did this come to be a priority for the FAA... particularly as opposed to (chemical) testing for narcotics or abuse of prescription meds (or medication for an unreported problem)?
Click to expand...

Doc Bruce can correct me but my understanding is the FAA has you tested for glucose and protien in the urine, both are signs of kidney damage/disease. But try not to look at the kidney disease as the problem they are concerned about (even though it is serious in its own right)... rather.. the kidney disease is usually a result of something else (one very common cause is uncontrolled high blood pressure)..

Uncontrolled high blood pressure not only causes kidney damage but also heart damage, elevated stroke risk and a host of other things.. The heart and stroke risk issues can be suddenly and catastrophically incapacitating.

Diabetes causes problems with the circulation including microvascular changes and nerve damage. This not only causes kidney problems but also can mask the pain and symptoms of other disorders, like heart problems, which again can be suddenly incapacitating (particularly if you are numb to the warning signs of impending trouble).

Both of these examples are incomplete, but should give you a general idea why things are the way they area...
 
As a related note, if you do anything on the commercial side of aviation, you WILL get tested for drugs as part of a separate program.
 
TMetzinger said:
As a related note, if you do anything on the commercial side of aviation, you WILL get tested for drugs as part of a separate program.
Click to expand...


Too bad they don't test for stupidity, ethics, and alcohol too.
 
Last edited:
I have Type-II diabetes, and I have never had a positive glucose result on a urine test strip.

My understanding is that your glucose has to be waaaay high before the kidneys start filtering it out -- as in either you have untreated diabetes, or you consumed a lot of sugary stuff right before the test. Even non-diabetics experience some degree of glucose spike after consuming sugars, and the levels could conceivably reach the point at which the kidneys kick in to help get it down.

I am not a doctor (nor do I play one on TV). I'm just a guy with diabetes, well-managed through diet and exercise.

-Rich
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top