In a he althy person, fat in the urine can only be contained in small amounts (no more than 2 mg per 1 liter). An increased concentration of lipids in urine most often indicates he alth problems, less often - malnutrition. Doctors call this disorder lipuria. How dangerous is it? And what to do if a fatty admixture is found in the urine test? We will answer these questions in the article.
How to detect fatty impurities
It is impossible to detect droplets of fat in the urine with the naked eye. They are only visible under a microscope. Under high magnification, lipid particles appear as iridescent spots floating on the surface of the liquid.
At home, you can sometimes notice only a slight turbidity and change in the smell of urine. However, patients rarely pay attention to this. Only in advanced cases can you see a film on the surface of the urine. This is a sign of a very high concentration of fat.
In most cases, urine looks normal and does not change color. Detection of fat in the urine sediment is possible only with the help ofclinical analysis. For the study to be accurate, you must follow the following rules for preparing for the test:
- 24 hours before the test, do not drink alcohol, as well as vegetables and fruits of yellow and red colors;
- do not take medicines, vitamins and dietary supplements for two days before the analysis;
- before collecting urine, thoroughly wash the external genitalia;
- urine should only be collected in a clean pharmacy container to exclude the presence of extraneous fatty impurities;
- biomaterial must be delivered to the laboratory no later than 2 hours after collection.
Suppose a patient has fat droplets in their urine. What does it mean? Lipuria is not an independent disease. This is just a sign of serious trouble in the human body. Most often, an increased concentration of fat in the biomaterial is observed with pathologies of the renal glomeruli and tubules, as well as metabolic disorders. In more rare cases, the cause of lipuria can be an excess of lipids in the diet.
Possible pathologies
What causes fat in the urine of adults? The reason for this deviation is the following diseases:
- nephrotic syndrome;
- diabetes mellitus;
- pancreatitis;
- cholecystitis;
- injuries;
- chyluria;
- advanced stage of obesity.
Elevated levels of lipids in urine are often determined after surgical interventions. During operations, the doctor has to dissect fatty tissue and blood vessels. itleads to the entry of lipids into the bloodstream, and from there into the renal tubules. Postoperative lipuria is more common in overweight patients. In this case, changes in the composition of the urine are temporary and disappear on their own.
Serious dietary errors can be the cause of an increased concentration of fat in the urine of an adult patient. If a person constantly abuses food rich in lipids, then the excess of these substances comes out through the kidneys. Subsequently, this can lead to severe metabolic disorders and obesity. In this case, you need to urgently review your diet.
Next, we will consider in detail the possible diseases that are accompanied by lipuria.
Lipuria in childhood
Fat in the urine of a child appears for the same reasons as in adults. Lipid levels are an important indicator of a baby's he alth. In children, the metabolism is faster than in mature people, so lipuria is detected in the early stages of various pathologies.
There are other causes of lipuria that are specific to childhood. These include the following.
- Food intoxication. Children's organism is especially sensitive to the quality of food. Therefore, children often experience poisoning, accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. This results in a large loss of fluid. As a result, urine becomes more concentrated and fat appears in it.
- Frequent diarrhea. In early childhood, stool disorders occur quite often. The reason for this can be excessive nutrition, stress, as well as lack of formation.digestive organs. Frequent diarrhea leads to dehydration, which often results in fat in the urine.
- Eating disorders. The abuse of fatty foods in children is much more likely to cause lipuria than in adults.
Nephrotic Syndrome
Under the concept of "nephrotic syndrome" urologists mean a whole group of kidney diseases. This pathological condition is characterized by severe swelling and an increased content of protein and fat in the urine. The cause of lipuria and proteinuria is the defeat of the filtering system of the excretory organs - the renal glomeruli.
Nephrotic syndrome occurs in the following diseases:
- glomerulonephritis;
- pyelonephritis;
- kidney amyloidosis.
With these pathologies, the filtration function of the kidneys deteriorates significantly. Particles of lipids and proteins penetrate the parenchyma of the organ and enter the urine. Fat in the urine is usually detected in the late stages of kidney disease, when the disease becomes chronic.
Nephrotic syndrome is always accompanied by severe swelling. First, the face, limbs and lower back swell. Then the swelling spreads to the whole body. In advanced cases, there is an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity and in the chest.
In nephrotic syndrome, the skin becomes pale, dry and flaky. This is due to the fact that due to edema, the nutrition of epidermal cells is disrupted.
Diabetes
Lipuria may be one of the signsdiabetes mellitus. This disease occurs due to insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas. It is accompanied by a sharp increase in the concentration of glucose in the blood.
Why is fat in the urine appearing in diabetes? This pathology often leads to a severe complication - diabetic nephropathy. It is characterized by damage to the renal tubules and glomeruli. At the same time, a high concentration of not only fat, but also albumins is determined in the urine.
Nephropathy occurs in the late stages of diabetes and often leads to chronic kidney failure.
Pancreatitis
This disease is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the pancreas. The affected organ produces very little digestive enzymes that are involved in the processing of fats. As a result, undigested lipids end up in the urine.
Urine of patients with pancreatitis also has a high content of diastase enzyme. This is a marker of the acute stage of the inflammatory process in the pancreas. A low level of diastase is usually observed in chronic pancreatitis.
Cholecystitis
In this disease, an inflammatory process occurs in the walls of the gallbladder. This is accompanied by serious violations of the function of the organ. The production of bile, which is necessary for the breakdown of fats, is sharply reduced. Unprocessed lipids are released into the bloodstream and then into the urine.
With cholecystitis, the concentration of bilirubin in the urine also increases. If the pathology is complicated by the formation of stones, then darkening of the urine is noted. This is a sign of bile duct obstruction.
Injuries
Bone fractures can cause lipuria. An elevated level of fat in the biomaterial is usually noted shortly after injury. Most often, lipids in the urine are elevated with fractures of the tubular bones of the upper and lower extremities.
Inside tubular bones is yellow bone marrow, which consists of fat cells. In fractures, lipids enter the bloodstream and are then excreted in the urine. In this case, lipuria is temporary and disappears after bone healing.
Chiluria
Chiluria doctors call the presence of lymph in the urine. Normally, tissue fluid does not penetrate into the urine. Usually chyluria is combined with lipuria, since the lymph contains fat cells. Urine is colored white.
This is a fairly rare violation. The most common cause of chyluria is infection with filariae. These are parasitic worms that live in tissue fluid. Pathology is accompanied by severe edema in the area of accumulation of helminths.
Chiluria can also be caused by infectious pathologies (tuberculosis, pneumonia). With these diseases, the lymphatic duct in the chest is often compressed.
The patient needs to urgently undergo a course of antiparasitic or antibiotic therapy. In severe cases, lymphatic drainage is restored surgically.
Obesity
Lipuria is often noted in overweight patients. Deviations in the analysisurine is usually observed in severe obesity, when body weight is significantly higher than normal. These patients have massive fat deposits throughout the body.
Why is fat in the urine often detected in overweight people? This is due to both malnutrition and a violation of the distribution of lipids in the body. Fats enter the urine from the subcutaneous tissue. Also one of the main causes of obesity is an excess of lipids in food. The digestive system cannot process large amounts of fat. As a result, these substances enter the bloodstream and are then excreted in the urine.
There are cases when obesity is a symptom of endocrine pathology. In patients with diseases of the thyroid gland, pituitary gland and adrenal glands, body weight can significantly exceed the norm. Such hormonal disorders cause fat metabolism disorders, which leads to lipuria.
Diagnosis
Doctors don't usually make a diagnosis based on the presence of fat in the urine. The specialist also draws attention to other data from a clinical or biochemical urine test:
- diastase level;
- glucose concentration;
- indicators of protein, erythrocytes and leukocytes;
- presence of bilirubin and other liver enzymes.
The doctor evaluates the results of the analysis as a whole. Additionally, the patient is recommended to take a blood test for biochemical parameters.
If there are deviations in the results of biochemistry tests, then instrumental studies of the kidneys are prescribed,pancreas and gallbladder.
In case of obesity, the patient is recommended to undergo a series of hormonal examinations. If a patient is diagnosed with chyluria, then it is necessary to take a blood test for the presence of filariae.
Treatment methods
The appearance of fatty impurities in the urine is just one of the signs of various diseases. The level of lipids in urine normalizes only after the cure of the underlying pathology.
If lipuria is associated with disorders of fat metabolism, then patients are shown taking statins. These drugs lower cholesterol and other bad fats. These medications include:
- "Atorvastatin";
- "Pitavastatin";
- "Rozuvastatin".
Patients should follow a special diet. It is necessary to limit the consumption of fatty foods. It is necessary to exclude fried foods and smoked meats from the menu. In this case, the diet should contain a sufficient amount of vitamins. With nephrotic syndrome, protein intake should also be limited. If the patient is obese, then he should follow a low-calorie diet.
If lipuria is provoked by injuries or surgical interventions, then no special treatment is prescribed. The level of fat returns to normal after the healing of a fracture or healing of a postoperative wound.
Conclusion
The appearance of lipids in urine is a dangerous sign. This indicates serious disorders of fat metabolism or kidney damage. Deciphering the analysis is requiredshow your doctor. The specialist will conduct additional diagnostics and prescribe the necessary treatment. Timely therapy will help to avoid serious complications.
