Electrolyte Profile - Urine Chloride, Potassium, Sodium
How much sodium, potassium and chloride the kidneys are letting out in urine. Read next to the blood values, it shows whether the kidneys are holding on to salt and water or losing them
Also known as Urine sodium, potassium and chloride, Spot urine electrolytes, Urine Electrolytes (Na, K, Cl), Electrolytes Test
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- Reports within
- 8 hours
- Parameters included
- 03see list
- Sample
- Urine
- Fasting
- Not needed
- Measures
- Sodium, potassium and chloride in a spot urine sample
- Identifies
- Cause of low or high blood sodium or potassium, dehydration, diuretic effects, kidney salt handling
Collected at home
A trained phlebotomist visits at a time you pick, from the next hour
Sealed single-use kit
Opened in front of you, and carried to the lab under controlled conditions
Report within 8 hours
On WhatsApp and email, with any value outside the normal range highlighted
What is the Urine electrolytes test?
A urine electrolytes test measures sodium, potassium and chloride in a single (spot) urine sample, in mmol/L. Blood electrolytes tell you what is circulating; urine electrolytes tell you what the kidneys are doing about it, whether they are holding on to salt and water or letting them go.
The test is almost always ordered alongside blood electrolytes and creatinine. A low urine sodium in someone with low blood sodium means the kidneys are conserving salt, which suggests dehydration, heart failure or liver disease. A high urine sodium in the same situation points to diuretics, a kidney problem or a hormone disorder such as SIADH. Urine potassium helps sort out why blood potassium is low: kidney losses versus losses from the gut. Urine chloride is useful when the blood is too alkaline. Because urine concentration changes through the day, the ranges are wide and the doctor reads the numbers against the clinical picture.
No fasting is needed. The sample is collected at home and the report arrives in 8 hours.
Urine electrolytes parameters3 measured
Sodium (urine)
20–220 mmol/L
Sodium passed in the urine, showing how the kidneys handle salt, low when the body is holding on to salt and high with diuretics or a salty diet
Potassium (urine)
20–125 mmol/L
Potassium passed in the urine, rising with diuretics, some hormone excesses or high intake, and falling when the body is short of potassium
Chloride (urine)
110–250 mmol/L
Chloride passed in the urine, moving with sodium, helping work out why blood salts are out of balance and whether the kidneys or gut are the cause
Reference ranges are the lab's defaults for adults and are printed on the report beside every value
How to prepare
- No fasting is needed.
- Collect the sample in the sterile container the phlebotomist brings; a mid-stream sample is fine.
- Do not change your salt intake or skip diuretics before the test unless your doctor asks; the value is meant to reflect your usual state.
- Tell the phlebotomist the time of the sample and your last diuretic dose.
Who should take it
This test is ordered by a doctor and is not used for screening. People with abnormal blood sodium or potassium whose cause is not clear. Patients on diuretics for high blood pressure, heart failure or cirrhosis. Anyone admitted or treated for severe vomiting, diarrhoea or dehydration. People with unexplained high blood pressure, where a hormone cause is suspected. Recurrent kidney stone formers assessing salt intake. People with acute kidney injury, to separate a kidney problem from low blood flow.
Before the visit
Tell your doctor about diuretics, steroids, salt substitutes, potassium supplements and intravenous fluids in the last day. Results from a single spot sample are only meaningful alongside blood electrolytes taken at about the same time.
Why take the Urine electrolytes test?
- Low blood sodium: The urine sodium separates dehydration from hormone or kidney causes, which are treated differently.
- Low blood potassium: Urine potassium shows whether the kidneys are wasting it or the loss is elsewhere.
- On diuretics: Water tablets change salt handling, and the test shows how much.
- Heart or liver failure: Both make the kidneys hold on to sodium, and the urine value confirms it.
- Kidney stones: A high urine sodium raises calcium loss and stone risk, and diet can be adjusted.
Questions about the Urine electrolytes test
What is a urine electrolytes test used for?
It measures sodium, potassium and chloride in a spot urine sample to show how the kidneys are handling salt. Doctors order it to find the cause of abnormal blood sodium or potassium, to assess dehydration, and to see how diuretics are acting.
Do I need to fast for a urine electrolytes test?
No fasting is needed. Keep your usual diet and medicines, including diuretics, unless your doctor says otherwise, because the test is meant to show your normal state.
How is the sample collected at home?
The phlebotomist brings a sterile container. Collect a mid-stream urine sample, close the lid and hand it over. The phlebotomist notes the time and takes it to the lab. It helps if a blood electrolyte sample is taken at the same visit.
What are the normal values for urine sodium, potassium and chloride?
For a spot sample: sodium 20 to 220 mmol/L, potassium 20 to 125 mmol/L and chloride 110 to 250 mmol/L. The ranges are wide because urine concentration changes through the day, so the numbers are interpreted alongside your blood results.
What does a low or high urine sodium mean?
A low urine sodium means the kidneys are conserving salt, as in dehydration, heart failure or cirrhosis. A high urine sodium despite low blood sodium points to diuretics, a kidney problem or a hormone disorder such as SIADH. Your doctor reads it together with blood sodium, creatinine and how much fluid you have had.
Who should get this test?
It is ordered by a doctor and is not a routine screen. People with abnormal blood sodium or potassium, those on diuretics, anyone recovering from severe vomiting or diarrhoea, people with acute kidney injury, and recurrent kidney stone formers checking their salt intake.
How long does the report take?
8 hours from collection. The report is sent on WhatsApp and email. Because the numbers are read against blood electrolytes, have both reports ready when you see the doctor.
Should I stop my water tablet before the test?
Not unless your doctor tells you to. Diuretics change urine sodium and potassium, and the doctor usually wants to see that effect. Tell the phlebotomist the time of your last dose so the report can be read correctly.
Is a spot urine sample as good as a 24-hour collection?
For sorting out low sodium or potassium, a spot sample is what doctors use because it can be compared with a blood sample taken at the same time. A 24-hour collection is better for measuring total daily salt intake, for example in stone prevention. Your doctor will say which is needed.
Commonly tested together
Often on the same prescription
What happens after you book
- A phlebotomist is assigned and reaches you in your chosen slot, as soon as the next hour
- The sample is collected with a sealed single-use kit and moved on a cold chain
- The report lands on WhatsApp and email within 8 hours