Pus Cells in Urine: What is the Normal Range?
Most of you have seen pus oozing out of a broken pimple or an injured place in the body. An excess of this pus always indicates an infection that you need to take care of immediately. However, it’s also a sign that your immune system is actively fighting by releasing white blood cells to the target site if it notices a virus, bacteria, or any pathogen. But what if you find pus cells in urine? Are they normal? Or do they indicate an underlying medical condition? Let’s delve deeper into this guide. What Are Pus Cells in Urine? Pus cells are just white blood cells. Your body gets rid of these whenever it has to fight something off. The appearance of pus cells in your urine means there’s some trouble in your urinary tract. The problem could be in your kidney, bladder, or urethra. This is termed pyuria, and it can be determined from a simple urine test. It is often one of the first tests ordered when someone shows up with a burning sensation while urinating. A few pus cells floating around are not a red flag. Your urinary tract was never meant to be completely germ-free, so a small amount of immune activity is normal. What matters is how high the number goes. What is the Normal Range of Pus Cells in Urine? Probably the most searched part of this topic, and lab reports do a poor job explaining it. The normal range for pus cells in urine is reported as a high power field, shortened to HPF on most reports. That just refers to the view a lab tech sees through the microscope. Pus Cell Count (per HPF) What It Usually Means 0 to 5 Normal. Seen in healthy men, women, and kids. 6 to 10 Slightly high. See your doctor if you also have any other symptoms. Above 10 High. Usually a UTI, a kidney issue, or something that needs a closer look. If your number stays above 10 per HPF and you also have signs of a urinary tract infection, don’t ignore it. This table is a starting point, not the full answer. Let your doctor look at the number alongside how you actually feel. Sterile vs Non-Sterile Pyuria: What’s the Difference? This part rarely gets explained to patients. Raised pus cells do not always mean bacteria are the culprit. When pus cells are seen, and the culture shows bacteria, it is called non-sterile pyuria. That’s your classic bacterial UTI, and antibiotics usually clear it up quickly. Sterile pyuria is the one exception. Pus cells show up, but the culture comes back completely clean. No bacteria anywhere. This could mean you have a viral infection, kidney stones, a disease called interstitial cystitis, tuberculosis affecting your urinary tract, or an autoimmune disease. But most often, the cause is recent antibiotic use, which clears out the bacteria. This makes sense because antibiotics can’t kill bacteria that are no longer there. If your pus cells do not decrease despite a negative culture, then do not insist on repeating the same medication; see an expert. What Leads To High Pus Cells In Urine? Urinary tract infection is the most common cause of pus cells in urine. The bacteria get into your body via the urethra and travel upwards. There could be instances where the infection becomes so serious as to infect the kidneys, which is known as pyelonephritis. Other important aspects include: Sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. These can raise pus cells even when there is no typical UTI involved. Kidney or bladder stones. They irritate the lining enough on their own to bring on white blood cells, infection or not. An inflamed prostate in men. It sits close enough to the urethra that cells can leak through. Interstitial cystitis or urinary TB. Two very different conditions, but both can leave pus cells lingering for months with nothing growing on culture. And then there is the important one that is often overlooked: a messy sample collection. The presence of skin cells or bodily secretions in the specimen jar results in a higher-than-normal amount of cells, which does not indicate your actual condition. That is exactly why professionals always highlight the importance of collecting a clean-catch midstream specimen. What Symptoms Are Associated with Elevated Pus Cells in Urine? Pus cells themselves will not make you feel a thing. Whatever you actually notice comes from what is causing them in the first place. Burning or stinging while you urinate Running to the bathroom way more than usual, sometimes for barely a trickle Urine that looks cloudy or smells stronger than it should A dull ache somewhere lower in your belly Fever or pain in the back, which can mean things have traveled up toward the kidneys Of these, burning and going too often usually point straight to a urinary tract infection. More often than not, a plain urine test shows raised pus cells, confirming what those symptoms were already telling you. How Is a High Pus Cell Count Diagnosed? Collect the urine specimen using the clean-catch method by washing the area and collecting urine in the middle of the stream, not the first few seconds of it. This lowers the chance of a contaminated sample and a falsely high reading. The collected urine sample is placed under the microscope and analyzed. The laboratory technician will count pus cells and red blood cells and check for bacteria or any crystals. If a culture is run and bacteria grow, that confirms a bacterial infection. Urine tests aren’t always the full story, particularly if the infection could have moved beyond the bladder. That’s where a few blood tests come in. Complete Blood Count (CBC): This test looks at your white blood cell count. That often increases when your body is fighting something off. C-reactive protein (CRP): A blood test for inflammation that is useful if you suspect an infection but are not sure about it. Kidney Function Test: This test
