Which statement about crystals seen in urine is true?

Which statement about crystals seen in urine is true?

• A. They exclusively indicate disease.
• B. They can resemble cysteine crystals.
• C. They always disappear in acidic urine.
• D. Their presence alone confirms a metabolic disorder.

Answer: (B)

In urinalysis, crystals in urine are not automatically a sign of disease. They can appear in normal urine when it’s concentrated or when the urine pH changes, so their presence alone isn’t diagnostic. It’s true that crystals seen in urine can resemble other crystal types, including cystine crystals. This means that a crystal that looks like cystine on the slide can occur, and proper identification often requires looking at shape, birefringence under polarized light, and the patient’s clinical context. The key idea is that crystals aren’t solely indicative of a metabolic disorder, and their appearance doesn’t by itself confirm one.

In urinalysis, crystals in urine are not automatically a sign of disease. They can appear in normal urine when it’s concentrated or when the urine pH changes, so their presence alone isn’t diagnostic. It’s true that crystals seen in urine can resemble other crystal types, including cystine crystals. This means that a crystal that looks like cystine on the slide can occur, and proper identification often requires looking at shape, birefringence under polarized light, and the patient’s clinical context. The key idea is that crystals aren’t solely indicative of a metabolic disorder, and their appearance doesn’t by itself confirm one.