Understanding Urine Colors and Health
Normal urine can have colors ranging from pale yellow to clear. But some things have the power to change the color. Urine can become pink or red due to certain foods, like fava beans, blackberries, and beets.
Symptoms Of Urine Color
The amount of fluid consumed can affect the color of urine. Urine appears more evident when more water is consumed because it dilutes the yellow pigments. As consumption declines, the intensity of the yellow color rises. However, urine can also change color, including:
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Orange
- Dark brown
- Cloudy white
Foods, medications, or medical conditions can influence these color changes.
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Get A Second OpinionWhen to see a doctor
See a doctor if you experience:
- Blood in your urine: This is common with UTIs or kidney stones, but painless bleeding may indicate a more serious issue like cancer.
- Dark or orange urine: This could signal liver problems, especially if accompanied by pale stools and yellowing of the skin or eyes.
Causes of Urine Color
Certain foods, medications, or health conditions can trigger changes in urine color. Here’s a breakdown of some different colors of urine and their causes:
Red or Pink Urine
- Blood: This can result from health issues like enlarged prostate, kidney stones, cysts, or tumors (not always cancerous). Intense exercise can also cause blood in urine.
- Foods: Beets, blackberries, and rhubarb can turn urine red or pink.
- Medications: Rifampin (for tuberculosis), phenazopyridine (for UTIs), and senna (a constipation medicine) can all cause red or pink urine.
Orange Urine
- Medications: Drugs like phenazopyridine, sulfasalazine (for inflammation), and chemotherapy treatments can cause orange urine.
- Vitamins: High doses of vitamins A and B-12 can also turn urine orange.
- Health Issues: Orange urine might indicate liver or bile duct problems, especially if accompanied by light-colored stools. Dehydration can also cause orange urine.
Blue or Green Urine
- Dyes: Brightly colored food dyes or dyes used in specific kidney and bladder tests can turn urine blue or green.
- Medications: Amitriptyline (for depression), cimetidine (for ulcers), triamterene (a diuretic), and indomethacin (for pain) can cause blue or green urine.
- Health Problems: A rare condition called familial benign hypercalcemia can lead to blue urine in children. UTIs caused by certain bacteria can also turn urine green.
Dark Brown or Cola-Colored Urine
- Foods: Fava beans, rhubarb, and aloe can cause dark brown urine.
- Medications: Malaria drugs like chloroquine and primaquine, antibiotics like metronidazole and nitrofurantoin, and muscle relaxers like methocarbamol can darken urine.
- Health Issues: Liver and kidney disorders, UTIs, or internal bleeding can result in brown urine. A condition called porphyria, affecting the skin and nervous system, can also cause this discolouration.
- Extreme Exercise: Intense physical activity can cause muscle injury, leading to tea- or cola-colored urine, which may indicate kidney damage.
Cloudy or Murky Urine
- Health Conditions: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) or kidney stones can cause urine to appear cloudy or murky.
Risk factors of urine color
Certain risk factors can increase the likelihood of urine color changes caused by underlying health issues. These include:
- Age: As people get older, the risk of developing bladder and kidney tumors increases, which can lead to blood in the urine. For men over 50, an enlarged prostate may also cause blood in the urine.
- Family History: If kidney disease or kidney stones run in your family, you’re more likely to develop them yourself. Both conditions can cause blood in the urine.
- Intense Exercise: Strenuous exercise, especially long-distance running, can lead to blood in the urine, although it can affect anyone who engages in intense physical activity.
Benefits of Clear Urine
- Clear urine indicates a healthy urinary tract and sufficient fluid intake.
- Consistently clear urine alongside extreme thirst should prompt consultation with a physician.
Urine Color in Kidney Failure
Your body can build up toxic waste and retain fluids if your kidneys are failing. If this occurs, toxins, blood, and excess protein may be found in your urine. Your urine may turn brown, darker tan, or even slightly red as a result of this.
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Book an AppointmentMalaria Urine Color
The passage of dark or red urine in malaria, known as blackwater fever (BWF) and often complicated by renal failure, is attributed to haemoglobinuria resulting from severe, acute, intravascular haemolysis (WHO, 1990). The syndrome is generally observed in people with limited immunity to malaria.
Liver Disease Urine Color
Liver disease can cause urine to turn dark amber or brown, sometimes resembling cola. This occurs due to the buildup of bilirubin in the bloodstream, which affects urine color.
