Starch

Source

Dr. Sofia Zaera, medical area specialist, Laboratorio de Análisis Clinicos, Hospital Universitario Lucus Augusti (Lugo), Spain

Description

Potato starch particles found in the urine of a 84-year-old man. These particles, which display variable shape and size (5 to 110 µm) and internal concentric striations, are not reported in any of the most recent and diffuse atlases on urinary sediment. However, they are described in some atlases of the 18th and 19th century, which also helped in the identification of the particles shown here. It is not yet clear whether their presence is due to fecal contamination of the urine and/or to the ingestion of large amounts of potatoes, followed by the intestinal absorption - by a process known as “persorption” - of starch and its subsequent elimination in the urine.

Keywords

CONTAM