What is an expected lab finding in a urinalysis for a client with dehydration?

In a client with dehydration, one expected lab finding in a urinalysis is high specific gravity. This occurs because when the body is dehydrated, the kidneys conserve water in an effort to maintain fluid balance. As a result, the urine becomes more concentrated, leading to an increase in specific gravity, which is a measure of the concentration of solutes in the urine.

High specific gravity indicates that there is less water relative to solutes in the urine, reflecting the body's response to conserve fluids. This is a normal physiological response when hydration status is low. In contrast, low specific gravity would suggest dilute urine, which is not typical in dehydration, and the presence of ketones or proteins might indicate other underlying conditions or metabolic states, but they are not direct indicators of dehydration.