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What Is a Urine Sodium Test?
A urine sodium test checks the amount of sodium in a sample of your pee to see whether it’s at a normal level.
Having too much or too little sodium can mean there’s an issue with your kidneys or perhaps another health matter. You may be asked to take a urine sodium test after you’ve already taken a sodium blood test and gotten results that are not normal.
Sodium is an important electrolyte (a mineral in your blood and other bodily fluids) that helps your body and cells function. It helps your body regulate how much fluid it retains.
Sodium is in almost everything you eat -- from chips and bread to even some medicine. When you eat too much sodium, your kidneys have the job of clearing it from your body. But if your kidneys are damaged, the organs can’t remove sodium efficiently.
The urine sodium test helps to figure out whether your kidneys are working as they should to remove sodium.
How Do I Prepare for the Test?
The urine sodium test poses no risks.
Before your test, you should tell your doctor what medicine and supplements you’re taking. Some drugs could affect your test results, so he may ask you to stop taking certain ones before giving a urine sample. These include:
Corticosteroids. These are used to treat many conditions, from rashes to arthritis to asthma. They helps lower inflammation in the body.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These medications are used to reduce inflammation and include aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin, Excedrin), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), and Naproxen sodium (Aleve).
Prostaglandins. These medicines are used to treat glaucoma or stomach ulcers.
Water pills. Also known as diuretics, water pills help your body get rid of sodium and water.
What Happens During the Test
You’ll pee into a container, typically in your doctor's office, and it will be taken to a lab. The lab will analyze the sample and let you know whether there was a normal amount of sodium in your urine.
Depending on what your doctor suggests, you could provide just one sample or you may need to collect samples throughout a 24-hour period.
What Do My Results Mean?
You’ll be given your results in the form of milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). The normal value may differ slightly depending on your lab.
For a one-time urine sample, the normal urine sodium value is around 20 mEq/L. For the 24-hour urine test, the norm ranges from 40 to 220 mEq/L per day. The wide range reflects your dietary salt intake.
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