Understanding Your Laboratory Test: A Patient Guide to Testing and Results

This is a laboratory test performed on a sample of your blood, urine, or other body fluid to help your doctor evaluate how your body is working. It measures specific substances, cells, or markers that provide important information about your health and can help identify medical conditions that may need further attention or treatment.

The Acanthocyte/Erythrocyte test examines your urine sediment (the solid material that settles after urine is spun in a centrifuge) to identify and count acanthocytes, also known as echinocytes or burr cells. These are red blood cells that have an abnormal spherical shape with short, regular projections on their surface. The test uses computer-assisted technology to provide more accurate and standardized results compared to manual microscopic examination.

Your doctor may order this test as part of a routine checkup, to help diagnose the cause of symptoms you are experiencing, to monitor an ongoing medical condition, or to see how well a treatment is working. It can also be used to screen for certain diseases before symptoms appear, which allows earlier care and better outcomes.

Your doctor may order this test if you have symptoms of kidney or urinary tract problems, such as blood in urine (hematuria), protein in urine, swelling in hands or feet, high blood pressure, or changes in urination patterns. The test helps differentiate between types of urinary tract bleeding and can indicate whether the problem originates in the kidneys (glomerular) or in the urinary tract (non-glomerular).

The test is usually done with a simple blood draw from a vein in your arm, although some versions use a urine or saliva sample instead. A trained technician will clean the site, insert a small needle, and collect the sample into a tube. The procedure takes only a few minutes, and you may feel a brief sting. The sample is then sent to a laboratory for analysis.

A urine sample is collected, typically as a clean-catch midstream specimen to avoid contamination. The sample is centrifuged to separate the liquid from the solid sediment. The sediment is then examined under a microscope using computer-assisted image analysis software, which can identify and count acanthocytes with greater precision than traditional manual methods.

Your results will be compared with normal reference ranges. Values within the typical range usually suggest that everything is working as expected, while values that are too high or too low may point to infection, inflammation, organ problems, or another condition that needs follow-up. Always review your results with your doctor, who can explain what they mean for your specific situation.

The presence of acanthocytes in urine (called acanthocyturia) is often associated with glomerular diseases, which affect the kidney's filtering units. A high number of acanthocytes typically suggests kidney damage, while the absence or low numbers of acanthocytes may indicate bleeding from elsewhere in the urinary tract. Your doctor will interpret results in context with other urine findings, your symptoms, and medical history.