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Kidney

Squamous Epithelial Cells in Urine: What This Result Means

Squamous epithelial cells line the lower urinary and genital tract. A few in the urine are normal; larger numbers usually mean the sample picked up cells from the skin around the urethra rather than signalling disease.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Squamous epithelial cells are large, flat cells that are thought to enter the urine from the genital surfaces; many of these cells can mean the sample was contaminated while it was caught. Certe gives below 1 per µL as the reference value for squamous epithelial cells counted by flow cytometry.

  • Many squamous epithelial cells in the urine make the other urine findings, such as leukocytes and bacteria, less reliable.
  • On its own, the squamous epithelial cell count is a weak predictor of a contaminated urine culture.

Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells: what Dutch laboratories use

There is no nationally agreed reference value; this is what individual laboratories publish.

Reference ranges by group, in /ul
Certe · Everyone · a limit, not a range < 1 /uL
1
0 1.1 /ul

Source: Certe

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells: what this test measures

This is the microscopic count of squamous epithelial cells in your urine, reported per high-power field or per microlitre. Squamous epithelial cells are flat, scale-like cells that line the lower urinary tract and the skin around the urethra.

A few of these cells in urine is completely normal. Larger numbers usually mean the sample picked up cells from the skin around the opening rather than signalling a problem inside the urinary tract. In that sense it is mainly a measure of sample quality.

Because a high count often points to contamination, it is read together with the other findings such as bacteria and white blood cells, which say more about a possible infection.

Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells: why this value matters

The main value of this count is that it tells your doctor how much to trust the rest of the urine result. A sample with many squamous epithelial cells is likely contaminated, so any bacteria or white cells found in it may come from the skin rather than the urinary tract.

When the count is high and the result matters, a fresh clean-catch sample is often requested. Collected properly, it usually shows far fewer squamous cells and gives a clearer picture.

On its own, a raised number of squamous epithelial cells is not a sign of disease. It is a quality check, not a diagnosis.

Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
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Where
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Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells: causes of a low or high value

What raises the value

  • Contamination while catching the sample

    Squamous epithelial cells in the sample are thought to come from the genital surfaces; in a study, samples with these cells more often gave a contaminated culture.

  • Female sex

    In an emergency-department study, women more often had squamous epithelial cells in the urine than men.

Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells: lifestyle and this value

A clean-catch midstream technique keeps squamous cells low and the rest of the sediment easier to interpret. There is usually nothing to treat for this finding on its own.

Urine Squamous Epithelial Cells: sources

  1. Certe, Bepalingenwijzer (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenwijzer.certe.nl
  2. Maher PJ, et al. Squamous epithelial cell presence reduces accuracy of urinalysis for prediction of positive urine cultures. Am J Emerg Med 2020;38(7):1384-1388. (retrieved 2026) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Tests with related values

These panels measure values from the same category as this marker.

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