Amino Acid (Urine) Test

The amino acid urine test is conducted to understand the metabolic, neurological and nutrition related ailments. This test analyzes up to 40 amino acids which helps the medical practitioner diagnose the possible causes and side effects of the abnormalities detected. The test is recommended when a patient is suffering from conditions like ADHD, autism, bipolar, fatigue, depression, eating disorders, seizures, schizophrenia, Down syndrome etc.

There is no special preparation required to undergo this test. However, because this is a urine test, the patient will be advised to drink 6-8 glasses of water or any other fluids before the test. Also, in case you are on certain medication, it may hinder the outcome of the test. Hence, it is important to tell your doctor beforehand about the complete list of medicines that is prescribed and consumed by you as it will ultimately help him to interpret and diagnose your test results and ailment more accurately thereby avoiding a wrong diagnosis.

The amino acid urine test is recommended when: The status of amino acids in the body (deficient or excess) needs to be assessed Various digestive problems like nutrient deficiencies, absorption issues need to be known The doctor needs to diagnose the correct treatment for various neurological disorders and mental health problems

As this test requires a sample of urine to be collected, the procedure is extremely painless (compared to the blood test). The typical procedure in the test would include urinating in a sterilized container at regular intervals over a period of 24 hours. Your doctor will guide you in more details as to how much should the time gap be between 2 urine samples. This helps the doctor gain adequate information about what amino acids are obtained from your diet over a 24 hour time period. Unfortunately, in the case of children, conducting a 24 hour urine test is rather difficult. In such a situation, the patient is advised to do a 8 hour procedure of urine collection through the night. Labeling the containers is also very important as these then needs to be submitted to the lab for further examination.