White urine
This condition is caused by two reasons - an increase in the amount of urine and poor kidney function, in which almost only water is excreted from the body.
Urine becomes clearer in the following diseases:
- Sugar and diabetes insipidus. With these diseases, urinary production increases sharply, so the concentration of pigment in it decreases. Its density decreases, which normally is 1018-1026 g/l, and in diabetes it approaches 1005 g/l.
- Acute cystitis and urethritis, accompanied by frequent urination. The constant passage of urine forces the patient to drink a lot of water, as a result the concentration of bile pigment decreases and the urine becomes very light.
- Kidney failure. In this case, pigments and other substances that must be eliminated from the body are not filtered through the kidney structures. As a result, waste and toxins remain in the blood, which causes a significant deterioration in the patient’s condition.
Therefore, the combination of poor health and light urine is a sign that requires an early visit to a urologist.
Dietary and vitamin components
Diet can also be a factor influencing this issue. Rhubarb gives urine a dark brown color. All natural fruits, vegetables (especially beets), berries, and highly processed foods can contain large amounts of food coloring. The latter are able to interact with pigments of the digestive system and lead to a change in the tone of the fluid excreted from the body.
This shade also varies depending on whether the food and water intake is separate or not. Asparagus gives, for example, a green tint and an unpleasant odor.
There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Very yellow urine generally indicates excess vitamin B, although it is harmless. It dissolves in water and is quickly absorbed in large quantities before reaching the intestines. Then this microelement quickly passes into the bloodstream, where it is filtered by the kidneys within half an hour. The body then eliminates excess B2 through urine.
However, you can try stopping taking the vitamin for a few days and drinking several glasses of water throughout the day. This will allow you to see if the urine subsequently becomes lighter in color. Other vitamins, such as A, D and E, which are not water soluble, are absorbed more slowly as they move through the intestines.
Dark yellow urine
This situation occurs when the concentration of bile acids increases. If there is little moisture in the body, the urine becomes very concentrated, becoming dark yellow. This condition occurs when dehydration is caused by vomiting and diarrhea.
A rich shade appears with stagnant buds. In this case, due to circulatory stagnation caused by diseases of the heart and blood vessels, renal filtration is disrupted and excess fluid is not removed from the body. Congestion is accompanied by swelling, pain in the heart and lower back.
Nitroxoline and B vitamins can give a yellow color to urine. In this case, after you stop taking the medication, the rich yellow tint will disappear on its own.
Normalization of the color of the secreted fluid
If the color of the urine changes and there are no symptoms, you need to wait a day. Perhaps it's the foods you eat or the liquid you drink. It is also recommended to replenish the volume of clean water, since darkening of urine is caused by a high concentration of urochromes due to dehydration.
If the color of urine changes for a long time, this can become a sign of a disease, especially if it is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms such as fever or paroxysmal pain in the abdomen. In this case, you need to consult a specialist, perform additional examination of the body and receive an effective treatment regimen.
The doctor collects the patient’s medical history, finds out his living conditions, diet and medications taken. If a change in the color of urine is due to the presence of a pathology in the body, it is extremely important to identify the cause in a timely manner, only after which a drug treatment regimen is prescribed.
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Doctors recommend monitoring the health of the genitourinary area and preventing infection. You should not hold urination for a long time when the urge occurs, as this provokes disruption of the urinary tract. It is necessary to carefully monitor the hygiene of the genital organs and do this according to the rules, undergo regular examinations by a urologist or gynecologist, who can identify many diseases at the initial stage and prevent their development and complications.
Of course, it is worth giving up bad habits and leading a healthy lifestyle. Whenever possible, patients are advised to avoid exposure to additional chemicals and toxins by choosing natural foods and drinks.
Red urine
This condition, called hematuria, occurs when blood enters the urinary tract. A slight reddish tint indicates a small concentration of blood - microhematuria, and a bright red color indicates macrohematuria. This is a sign of serious bleeding in the urinary system.
Hematuria is caused by:
- Injuries to the kidneys, ureters, and bladder, in which destruction of blood vessels occurs and blood cells enter the urinary system.
- Inflammatory processes in the kidneys, bladder and prostate gland, which also damage small vessels. A reddish color is a common sign of STDs and other infections.
- Urolithiasis, accompanied by the passage of a kidney stone. As a result, the ureteral mucosa is injured by the stone, which leads to hematuria. The condition is accompanied by significant pain in the lower back and lower abdomen.
- The release of large amounts of urates - uric acid salts. This condition, called uricemia, is a symptom of gout, a disease accompanied by inflammation of the joints.
- Malignant tumors that bleed as they decay. With cancerous lesions, the shade varies from bright red to the color of meat slop.
- Mass death of red cells - erythrocytes. This situation occurs with infectious diseases, poisoning, snake bites and blood transfusions that are incompatible with the group.
Therefore, such staining is a sign of a serious complication - hemolytic anemia, accompanied by a drop in the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells. As a result, oxygen is not delivered to the tissues, which causes oxygen starvation, which is life-threatening.
Red coloring can be caused by eating large amounts of beets. This condition is called bituria. In itself, it is not dangerous, but it indicates problems with the gastrointestinal tract and a lack of iron in the body. Therefore, with such a symptom, it is advisable to donate blood for anemia and check the gastrointestinal tract.
If this situation is not related to the consumption of beets or products with red dye, you should urgently consult a doctor. This condition requires immediate treatment.
Features of the pregnancy period
Since the normal tone of urine varies among shades of yellow, there should be no cause for concern if it looks lighter, brighter, or darker, even during pregnancy. During this period, the urine may be bright yellow in many cases, and this should not be considered something unusual. During pregnancy, color changes may result from:
- the influence of normal changes in the way the kidneys filter water;
- how many drinks are consumed per day;
- choosing certain foods;
- taking vitamins and other medications.
The risk of dehydration increases while awaiting birth because there is a greater than normal demand for water in the body. It is necessary to maintain the volume of circulating fluid required by fetal development and normal metabolism.
Doctors recommend vitamins and iron to all pregnant women. Excess water-soluble vitamin C and B microelements will change the color of urine to a brighter yellow. This will be noticeable within a few hours after taking the vitamins.
A urinary tract infection can lead to worse pregnancy outcomes. Problems will manifest themselves in premature birth, rupture of membranes. If the urine becomes dark, cloudy, has an odor, a burning sensation or pain, you should consult a doctor. Urinary tract infections caused by bacteria can cause urine to appear green. This is a serious reason to see a doctor. Blood in the urine is called hematuria.
Carrots and their juice can cause the appearance of an orange tone due to the carotene substance contained in this vegetable. Sweet potatoes will do the same. Such transformations are within normal limits. This is not a reason to give up fruits and vegetables, which are important foods in the diet of an expectant mother.
Milky urine
A milky white tint is characteristic of pyuria, a discharge of pus caused by damage to the kidneys and bladder. The situation also arises when an abscess breaks through from a neighboring organ into the urinary system. Sometimes cloudy urine has an unpleasant odor.
Urine may become cloudy due to insoluble calcium and phosphorus salts entering it. This phenomenon is observed during the disintegration of a bone tumor containing a large amount of calcium and phosphorus compounds.
This condition is very dangerous and therefore requires an urgent visit to a urologist. In this case, you cannot hesitate.
Medicines
Some medications can also affect the color of urine. Most often, this symptom can be observed by patients who undergo vitamin therapy. Vitamins A and C give urine its orange color.
The following drugs can also color urine: “Phenazopyridine”, “Farfarin”, “Rifampicin”. In addition, manufacturers may add a synthetic dye to the medicine, which will ultimately also affect the condition of the urine. Some antitumor drugs have a side effect in the form of urine color.
Green urine
This shade appears with severe purulent lesions of the urinary system, accompanied by stagnant processes.
Another reason for such an unusual color is the introduction of a methylene blue solution, which is used to determine the patency and functioning of the urinary organs. The blue color of the dye mixes with the yellow urine, turning it green.
The same coloring is given by taking some antidepressants, sleeping pills and medications for Parkinson's disease.
It is important to know!
Since ancient times, healers knew that a healthy person should have straw-yellow urine, and its visual examination in a round glass vessel (uroscopy) was used to diagnose and predict the outcome of many diseases.
Many diseases occur without any symptoms at all. A person feels normal, while an inflammatory process develops in the body. A sign of a disease of the genitourinary system in women and men may be orange urine. However, such a symptom does not always indicate the development of the disease. Anyone who has encountered this condition should understand all the possible causes.
Blue-violet urine
Urine can even acquire such shades. The purple color is associated with the catheter being in the bladder for a long time. In this case, a strange color occurs when tryptophan enters the urinary tract, which, under the influence of bacteria and air, turns into indoxyl, and then into an indigo-violet-blue pigment.
Blue coloring is observed with a genetic disease - blue diaper syndrome, or Hartnup syndrome. With this disorder, blue substances appear in urine caused by improper metabolism of the amino acid tryptophan.
The result is dehydration
Bright orange urine can result from severe dehydration. This can happen during physical activity. If you work too hard at the dacha, the color of your urine should not change. Professional athletes may face this problem. If orange urine appears after an intense workout in the gym, you will have to stop exercising for a while. If the water balance is not restored in a timely manner, metabolism will be disrupted. As a result, the person will get a lot of health problems.
Prevention
Preventive measures to prevent pathologies characterized by lightening of urine do not represent something supernatural. They are aimed at maintaining the normal functioning of primarily the kidneys and pancreas, as well as the stomach, liver, heart and other vital organs.
The basic rules for disease prevention are:
- healthy lifestyle with sufficient physical activity,
- proper nutrition, avoiding foods that are difficult to digest,
- timely treatment of inflammatory diseases of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract,
- rejection of bad habits,
- normalization of psycho-emotional state.
Among other things, you need to avoid hypothermia and drafts, which can cause kidney problems and can trigger the development of tumor processes in the brain.
