What the colour of your urine says about your health?
Urine is made up of water, salt and chemicals like (urea and uric acid). The colour of urine depends upon how diluted the urochrome pigment is.
The colour changes could be due to foods, medications or food dyes. But in other cases, these colour changes could be an indication of health problems that you should not ignore like a liver condition, urinary infection or kidney stones. Hence it is important to pay attention to changes in colour. If you are experiencing a colour change, make an appointment with your urology doctor.
The meaning behind urine colour:
Each colour of urine can mean multiple things.
1. No colour or transparent urine:
The clear or transparent colour of urine indicates you are drinking more than the daily recommended amount of water.
Clear urine can also indicate liver problems like cirrhosis and viral hepatitis. If you are not consuming large amounts of water and have ongoing clear urine, you should see your doctor.
2. Cloudy or foamy urine
Cloudy or foamy urine can be a sign of a urinary tract infection. If the discharge is cloudy with foam or bubbles, it could be a symptom of Chron’s disease or diverticulitis. In some cases, it is also a sign of dehydration.
3. Pale yellow urine
The pale yellow colour of urine indicates everything is healthy and normal.
4. Bright yellow urine
Bright yellow urine is harmless and is just a sign that you are taking more vitamins than your body needs.
5. Brown urine
Brown colour in urination could mean you have severe dehydration or a liver condition. It can be due to drugs containing phenol, certain antibiotics, phenytoin or sennoside laxatives.
6. Red and pink urine
Red or pink urine can be due to blood in your urine (hematuria) or it could be a sign of kidney disease, urinary tracts infection, tumours or a prostate problem. This could also be caused by recently eating blueberries, beets or rhubarb, or if you recently did strenuous activities.
7. Orange urine
Orange urine may mean you are dehydrated and need water. It could also mean you could have a liver or bile duct condition. Another meaning could be you ate large amounts of carrots or carrot juice, or you ate something with food dye.
8. Blue and green urine
A green or blue colour in the urine is not very common. It could be caused by a rare genetic disease or a bacteria causing a urinary tract infection. It can be also a result of consuming drugs containing phenol, some antidepressants, dyes in food, biliverdin.
9. Purple
Purple urine indicates the disorder named porphyria, a rare metabolic disorder.
When to consult a urologist?
Changes in urine colour could be temporary and harmless that may be the result of eating certain foods, taking medications or vitamins. But it can also be a sign of a more serious health problem. Hence, anytime you see blood in your urine or notice it is brown or orange, it is time to consult with a urologist near you. Especially when the change lasts more than a day, or if it comes with back or side pain, fever, burning with urinating, vomiting, discharge or thirst.
