Patterns and statistical associations in routine urinalysis: A retrospective analysis of 1000 first-morning midstream samples from Owerri southeast, Nigeria

Background: Urinalysis is a routine laboratory investigation that provides valuable information on urinary tract health and systemic conditions. Despite its clinical importance, there is limited evidence from private diagnostic facilities in Southeast Nigeria on the prevalence patterns and associations of urinalysis parameters.Objective: To determine the prevalence of physical, chemical, and microscopic urinalysis findings and assess associations between selected urinary parameters in clients attending a private diagnostic laboratory in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.Method: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using 1000 first-morning midstream urine samples collected between July 2023 and June 2025. Data were retrieved from laboratory records and analyzed using Jamovi (v2.4) and Microsoft Excel. Urinalysis included physical (colour, appearance), chemical (pH, protein, glucose, ketones, bilirubin, urobilinogen, blood, nitrite), and microscopic (RBCs, WBCs, epithelial cells, casts, crystals, bacteria/yeast) examinations. Descriptive statistics summarized findings, Chi-square tested associations between categorical variables, Spearman’s correlation assessed continuous relationships, and multiple linear regression identified predictors of WBC count. Significance was set at p<0.05.Results: The age range of participants was from 1 to 88 years (mean = 37.05±17.17 years) and there was equal gender distribution. Pale yellow urine (68.3%) and clear urine (80.9%) were the most predominant characteristics. Glucose (13.1%) and blood (12.6%) were the most prevalent chemical abnormalities, while crystals (14.5%) and bacteria/yeast (13.2%) were the most common microscopy abnormalities. Cloudy urine showed a strong association with higher presence of bacteria/yeast (30.89%) and clear urine (9.0%; p<0.001). Proteinuria was seen more often in females (p<0.001). Presence of nitrite had a strong association with the presence of bacteria/yeast (p<0.001). Spearman’s correlation showed that age was positively correlated with urine pH (ρ = 0.099, p = 0.002) and RBC count (ρ = 0.146, p<0.001), but negatively correlated with WBC count (ρ = –0.208, p<0.001). Regression analysis showed that nitrite, protein, blood, RBCs, age, and casts were statistically significant predictors of WBC count (R² = 0.254, p<0.001).Conclusion: The findings from this showed a very high magnitude of glucosuria, haematuria, proteinuria, and crystalluria, and positive associations with urine appearance, nitrite positivity, and microbial presence. This highlights the importance of routine urinalysis for detection of subclinical abnormalities sustained by data values and intervention in community diagnostic settings.