JustAnswer > Health
Ask A Question|Register|Login|Help
JustAnswer

Health
Ask a Health Question, Get an Answer ASAP!

Have your own Health question?

8 Doctors and Nurses are Online Now
characters left:
Not a Health Question?

Related Health Topics:

  • Men
    • ,
  • Back
    • ,
  • Kind
    • ,
  • Sign
    • ,
  • Work
    • ,
  • Well
    • ,
  • Blood
    • ,
  • Cells
    • ,
  • Fecal
    • ,
  • Front
Bookmark and Share

Question

What does it mean if you have high levels of estates in urine specimen?

Submitted: 327 days and 9 hours ago.
Category: Health
Value: $15
Status: CLOSED
+
Read More

Optional Information

Age: 57; Female, Pennsylvania

Already Tried:
A round of antibiotic macrobid with burning still occuring. Second round of sulfmethoxazole for 10 days just started

Posted by Dr. Mark 327 days and 9 hours ago.

Info Request

Do you have the other results of your urinalysis?

For example, the white blood cells?

Nitrates?

Bacteria?

327 days and 9 hours ago.

Reply

They said it was bacteria

Accepted Answer

OK.

"leukocyte esterase" is an enzyme that is found in white blood cells (white blood cells fight infection), and when found in the urine, is usually a sign that these white blood cells are fighting some kind of inflammation / infection.

So that in combination with bacteria in the urine is usually confirmatory of a urinary tract infection.

Other tests that would suggest infection are high levels of WBCs in the urine, or a positive nitrate finding in urine.

Picture
Expert: Dr. Mark
Pos. Feedback: 99.8 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 12/31/2008

Doctor (MD)

U.S. Physician/Surgeon in Neurosurgery

327 days and 9 hours ago.

Reply

How do urinary tract infections occur?

Accepted Answer

Well, the most common cause is the introduction of bacteria through the urethral opening.

This can occur from "wiping" the wrong direction (wiping back to front and introducing fecal bacteria to the urethral area), sexual activity, or just unlucky - since the urethra is shorter in women than in men, women tend to get urinary tract infections at a higher frequency.

Picture
Expert: Dr. Mark
Pos. Feedback: 99.8 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 12/31/2008

Doctor (MD)

U.S. Physician/Surgeon in Neurosurgery

327 days and 9 hours ago.

Reply

How does this work with sexual activity

+
Read More

Related Health Questions

  • Severe Neck Pain
  • I watch a 4 month old baby and have three children of
  • I have been fighting tiredness for over 3 weeks and with ...
  • I have this constant burning in the pit of my ...
  • i have been loosing weight about 50 lbs but i have one ...
  • lab SSYC
  • i think it was a bug bite that got infected. it is oozing .....
  • What is HIV/AIDS



Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.
Question List | Become an Expert | Terms of Service | Security & Privacy | About Us
© 2003-2009 JustAnswer Corp.