Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Chloride - urine

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Urinary chloride


Normal Values

The normal range is 20 to 250 milliequivalents per day (mEq/day). This range depends greatly on your salt intake and how hydrated you are.

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.


What abnormal results mean

Increased urine chloride levels may be caused by:

  • Adrenocortical insufficiency
  • Increased salt intake
  • Inflammation of the kidney that results in salt loss
  • Production of an unusually large amount of urine

Decreased urine chloride levels may be due to:

  • Cushing syndrome
  • Decreased salt intake
  • Fluid loss that occurs with diarrhea, vomiting, sweating, and gastric suction
  • Salt retention

Review Date: 08/07/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)