Pus cells in urine are a sign of urinary tract infection (UTI). Pus cells are white blood cells that have been activated by bacteria and are trying to fight off the infection. However, it's important not to jump to conclusions about your health based on these pus cells. The presence of a few pus cells doesn't mean you have an infection; it could just be an incidental finding that warrants further investigation.
The bottom line is that urine is typically sterile. If there are bacteria present in the urine, it can mean that your kidneys are not functioning properly and you should investigate further. If only a few pus cells are present in your urine test, that is most likely not significant.
If it does, then there is something wrong and you need to investigate. Pus cells are a sign of infection and can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi. If pus cells persistently show up in your urine, you should have it checked out. A culture may be ordered to find out what bacteria are present and what type of antibiotics will kill them.
If a urine test shows only a few pus cells, that's probably not significant. But if you think you may have something more serious going on, it's best to talk with your doctor and get some further testing done.
If you do have a positive urine test result for pus cells, the next step is to ask yourself why this might be happening. There are many causes of pus in the urine other than infection—for instance, it can come from an injury or obstruction (such as kidney stones). If either of these things is true for you and there’s no evidence of an infection like UTI or cystitis (bladder infection), then further testing won't be necessary.
If you have had a urine test in which there were pus cells in your urine, and if it is a persistent finding, then you can repeat the test. If this comes back as positive for pus cells, then it is likely that you do have an infection and need to be treated for it.
If the culture is negative (no bacteria), however, then there may be no cause for alarm. The presence of pus cells could simply be the result of a temporary condition such as urinary tract infection (UTI) or even having recently given birth (postpartum).
If pus cells persistently show up in your urine, you should have it checked out. It’s not normal to have pus cells in your urine. They usually indicate an infection of some kind or another—a urinary tract infection (UTI), kidney infection, bladder infection, or even a kidney stone. Even though they’re relatively rare and fairly harmless when they occur on their own—they don’t cause harm to the kidneys themselves—it’s still worth having them tested out by a doctor because of their association with other health problems like UTIs and kidney infections.
The culture is a test that determines the presence of bacteria in your urine. This information is important because the type of bacteria present can help determine which antibiotic will treat it. For example, if you were to take an antibiotic that targets staphylococcus and that was not what was causing your infection, then you might get worse instead of better!
If you have a doctor, call them and ask them to refer you to a urologist.
If you do not have a doctor, I would recommend calling your local hospital and asking for the number of their urgent care clinic. Urgent care clinics are usually more affordable than private offices, so this is ideal if you can't afford to see a private physician yet.
You may also want to ask for some cultures of both urine and pus cells (in case there were two separate infections). They will likely give us an antibiotic prescription as well as order an ultrasound test or CT scan in order to determine what type of infection it might be.
I would recommend that you talk to your doctor if you are concerned about this. It’s possible that it could be nothing, but it is also possible that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.