What is cystine analysis?

Also known as: cystine urine test, urine amino acids, UAA, amino acid 24 hour urine.

Amino acids (of which cystine is one) are the building blocks for all the proteins that the body uses to make tissues and hormones. When proteins are broken down, the amino acids formed are normally reabsorbed in the kidneys and reused to perform a wide variety of bodily functions. Testing for amino acids, which are abnormally excreted in the urine helps identify body function imbalances that can occur from inherited or acquired diseases.

Cystine is a compound that forms in crystals in the kidneys, ureters and bladder from a specific inherited disease of an amino acid passed down from parent to child through a defect in their genes.

Cystine analysis – urine amino acid qt. is a test of the urine that examines amino acid levels, including cystine. A high level of cystine in the urine is a risk factor for stone formation in the urinary tract.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM