Urine Hemoglobin (Dipstick) Unit Converter

The urine hemoglobin dipstick is a screening test that detects blood in your urine. It picks up intact red blood cells (hematuria), free hemoglobin (hemoglobinuria), and myoglobin (myoglobinuria) using a chemical color-change reaction on a test strip.

Results are reported semi-quantitatively as negative, trace, small (1+), moderate (2+), or large (3+). A normal result is negative, meaning no blood is detected.

The test works by detecting the peroxidase-like activity of the heme group in hemoglobin. When intact red blood cells land on the test pad, they burst open and release their hemoglobin, which then triggers the color change. Free hemoglobin or myoglobin in the urine triggers the same reaction directly.

The hemoglobin detected can originate from bleeding anywhere along the urinary tract (kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra), or from systemic sources such as intravascular hemolysis releasing free hemoglobin or skeletal muscle breakdown releasing myoglobin.