Red and yellow and pink and green – your urine can even sing a rainbow. You could also be surprised to know that it will probably be purple and orange and blue. And a myriad of other unusual colours besides.
Urine acts as a medium through which the body can eliminate various waste products. This includes protein and nitrogenous waste from muscle breakdown (in the shape of Urea and creatinine), and red blood cells. In addition, many alternative ingested compounds, including vitamins, drugs, and a few of our food, are excreted from the body through urine.
But there are a lot of things that mustn't be in urine, and An important question The doctor should consider: “What color is this?” Doing so may help point to a diagnosis.
Red
Red urine is often indicated. Bleed. It can come from anywhere within the urinary tract – from the kidneys to the bladder and prostate gland, and all of the tubes that connect them.
The appearance of blood varies in response to volume and freshness and might produce many alternative colours. In profuse bleeding, the urine could also be so stained that it looks like red wine. Very Conditions can cause bleeding.From kidney stones to cancer, to trauma and urinary tract infections.
But red urine can even come from food. Too many beets.
Mike Long/Almy Stock Photo
Orange and yellow.
Of course, we all know that urine color in its normal form covers many shades of yellow – depending on how hydrated you might be. Dehydration causes urine to be dark yellow, sometimes with an orange solid, while good fluid intake produces pale yellow urine.
The compound that provides the urine a yellow stain is named urobilin. The means of making it begins with the breakdown of old blood cells which have passed their prime and must be faraway from the circulation.
This process creates a compound called Bilirubin. It is excreted partly through the urine and partly through the intestines since it is utilized by the liver to make bile, which is very important within the breakdown and digestion of fats. Bile is excreted within the intestine and lost within the stool. Bile incorporates these compounds that give stool its characteristic brown color.
When bile is unable to be released into the intestines—perhaps because of this of stones or cancer blocking the bile ducts—bilirubin is reabsorbed into the bloodstream after which excreted through urine. This makes it darker – an orange or brown color. Elevated bilirubin also causes yellowing of the skin. is named a condition. Obstructive jaundice.
Several medications including antibiotics rifampicincan even stain urine orange.
Green and blue
Green and blue urine is somewhat rare and will cause quite a little bit of surprise when seen in the bathroom.
If you've ruled out that it's not the colour of the bathroom flush, there are the explanation why your body is producing green or blue urine. Colorants that come from green (comparable to asparagus) or blue foods and beverages, and are consumed in large amounts, could cause this, as can certain medications comparable to antihistamines. Anesthetics and vitamins.
Interestingly, some microbes can even produce green compounds. The bacterium (named for its verdigris color) produces green-blue piocyanins. It has a rare cause. Urinary tract infections – Which is usually accompanied by a burning or stinging sensation when urinating.
Indigo or purple
Indigo or purple urine is rare. One of the possible reasons is Porphyria (meaning purple) and is a genetic family of conditions that affect the skin and nervous system.
The other is appropriately called Purple bladder syndrome, and there's one other bacterial phenomenon. This refers to a condition where bacteria in a patient with a catheter (urinary tract) form stains that turn the urine purple.
Violet or pink
Back to the blood (and beets) again.. In small amounts, they will stain urine pink as an alternative of deep red. In this instance, urologists typically liken Cabernet Sauvignon to a rose wine reasonably than a deep red.
Other colours
There are a couple of other urine colours to notice outside of the rainbow.
Some are darker in color, normally brown or black. Here, one can compare Dr. Coca-Cola. This is typically brought on by the muscle breaking down right into a compound called myoglobin – it's linked to a serious condition rhabdomyolysisperhaps aggravated by extreme exercise or taking certain medications.
Lyudmila Chuhunova/Shutterstock
It also comes from bilirubin – making urine dark brown as an alternative of orange. But it will probably even be brought on by blood, although this time, less fresh. Nephritis – a condition often called glomerulonephritis – May trigger bleeding that turns red to brown because it passes through the urethra.
But finally, on the clear side of the spectrum, comes colorless urine. Although it's best not to pay attention yellow urine, large amounts of dilute urine can even indicate disease, whether diabetic or pathological. Drinking more.
This just goes to indicate the sheer number of various colours of our urine, and the sheer number of various conditions they will indicate. And that is on no account an exhaustive list.
But, by understanding the causes of coloured urine, you may as well be looking out for symptoms like bleeding that warrant a visit to your doctor. Or picking up that water bottle for a much-needed swig.