| Pyuria | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
White blood cells seen under a microscope from a urine sample. |
|
| ICD-10 | N39.0 |
| ICD-9 | 791.9 |
| MeSH | D011776 |
In medicine, Pyuria refers to urine which contains pus. Defined as the presence of 4 or more neutrophils per high power field of unspun, voided mid-stream urine. It can be sign of a bacterial urinary tract infection. Pyuria may be present in the septic patient, or in an older patient with pneumonia.
Sterile pyuria is urine which contains white blood cells while appearing sterile by standard culturing techniques. Sterile pyuria is listed as a side effect from some medications such as paracetamol (acetaminophen). Its occurrence is also associated with certain disease processes, such as Kawasaki Disease and renal TB[1]. However, there are many known causes, including systemic or infectious disease, structural and physiological reasons, intrinsic renal pathology, or drugs[1].