Chloride - Spot Urine

Electrolytes are the body's essential building blocks that ensure you are healthy and hydrated. One of the vital electrolytes or electrically charged minerals is chloride. It functions in smooth cohesion with other electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium to evenly balance the bases and acids in your body.

Chloride is also responsible for carrying fluid in and out of the body's blood cells. If the chloride level drops, it can render you dehydrated and sick. On the other hand, if the chloride level is elevated, it could indicate trouble in kidney function. There are plenty of medical conditions that can lead to chloride imbalance.

You will get metabolic alkalosis if your body's tissues become excessively alkaline. This could be due to the consumption of certain medications that make you pee more. It could also happen if you have recently been vomiting or had your stomach contents suctioned. Low levels of potassium may also play a significant role. Health conditions like Gitelman syndrome or Bartter syndrome can also lead to metabolic alkalosis.

Assessing the chloride level in your urine may offer insight into your condition of metabolic alkalosis. You may also experience the following signs and symptoms that may indicate such a medical issue:

• Foggy brain or trouble thinking
• Seizures
• Muscle cramps
• Slow breathing
• Confusion
• Numbness or needle-pin-like sensation in your limbs
• Muscle stiffness

In such cases, your medical healthcare provider will likely order a chloride urine test. Getting this test will help:

• Assess the chloride level in your body
• Determine if you suffer from metabolic alkalosis 
• Detect if you suffer from any other medical syndromes like Gitelman syndrome or Bartter syndrome
• Devise an effective treatment plan to balance your chloride levels

Remember that your test results will depend on your gender, age, previous health history and the testing method. Results are likely to be stated in millimoles per litre (mmol/L) or milliequivalents per litre (mEq/L)

If your test results return normal, your chloride levels will range between 20-40 mEq/L or mmol/L. If your results are any lower than 20 mEq/L, it will indicate the chloride deficiency in your daily diet. It could also mean that you are or have been on diuretics medications or have recently gotten your stomach contents medically suctioned.

If the test results are any higher than 40 mEq/L, it could be a sign of Gitelman syndrome, Bartter syndrome or deficient potassium levels. Elevated levels of chloride could be due to certain medications like diuretics.

You can book a chloride urine test today at Apollo 24/7. It offers effortless and quick at-home testing. Moreover, you will receive your test results within 36 hours!