If a account is account a thousand words, the blush of your pee additionally gives you a clue on your accompaniment of health.
More than 20 years ago (1988), the Southern Medical Journal appear an commodity on urine color—which may alter from cellophane to chicken to orange to red to brown—and the agnate altitude that it indicates.
Red
The shade that varies from blood red to a tinge of pink could be the result of taking certain medications such as:
Chloroquine (anti-malaria drug)
Deferoxamine (antidote to iron poisoning, especially in children)
Hydroxycobalamine (vitamin B12)
Ibuprofen (pain reliever)
Phenazopyridine (local analgesic for urinary tract infection)
Rifampicin (treament for TB, leprosy or meningitis)
Warfarin (anticoagulant or blood thinner)
Diseases related to reddish urine are:
Hemolytic anemia (anemia due to destruction of red blood cells)
G6PD deficiency (lacks the enzyme for red cell metabolism)
Sickle cell anemia (abnormally shaped red cells)
Thalassemia (deficiency of one component of red cells)
Thrombocytopenic purpura (bleeding disorder with bruising and blood spots)
Transfusion reaction
Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones)
Nutcracker syndrome (compression of left renal vein)
Porphyria (enzyme abnormalities in blood production)
Foods which may cause harmless red urine:
Beets
Blackberries
Carrots
Orange
From bright yellow-orange or dark yellow, this color may be the result of a urinary tract infection (UTI), lack of fluid intake or dehydration.
Brown
Often indistinguishable or difficult to tell apart from dark red urine, brownish pee may even be caused by the same diseases as red urine due to the presence of blood in the urine. There are, however, some medications which specifically cause pee to turn brown, including:
Acetaminophen overdose (pain reliever)
Metronidazole (antibiotic for vaginal infections and amoebiasis)
Niridazole (treatment against flatworms)
Nitrofurantoin (treatment for urinary tract infection)
Foods that produce brown urine are:
Fava beans
Rhubarb
Black
An alarming color but don't rush to the emergency room just yet. Common medications responsible for black urine are:
Methyldopa (antihypertensive)
Cresol (food additive in ketchup, cheese, bacon, smoked foods)
Iron (included in multivitamins)
Laxative (stool softener)
L-dopa (anti-Parkinson's drug)
Methocarbamol (muscle relaxant)
Sorbitol (sugar alcohol found in apples, pears, peaches, prunes)
Black urine disease or alkaptonuria is a genetic disorder of phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism. The toxic byproduct of this disease causes osteoarthritis, damage to heart valves and kidney stones.
White
Albinuria or white urine may appear milky white to thinly white. Diseases related to this urine color are:
Chyluria (leakage of lymphatic fluid in urine)
Filariasis (roundworm infestation)
Lymphatic fistula (abnormal connection between urinary tract and lymphatics)
Schistosomiasis (parasitic infection with liver fluke)
Lipiduria (presence of fat cells in urine due to nephrotic syndrome)
Propofol infusion (injection with the anesthetic Propofol)
Proteinuria (excessive protein in urine in kidney disease)
Pyuria (pus cells in urine)
Urinary tuberculosis (TB of the urinary tract)
Hypercalciuria (elevated calcium in urine)
Hyperoxaluria (excess oxalate, a component of kidney stones)
Phosphaturia (phosphate in urine, a component of bone and teeth)
Blue or green
When you see that the toilet water has turned blue, don’t blame it on Toilet Duck. Several medications may cause your pee to turn into this unusual color:
Methylene blue (anti-malarial drug, dye, component of urinary analgesic)
Amitriptyline (anti-depressant)
Clorets breath mints
Cimetidine (anti-ulcer)
Flupirtine (analgesic)
Indomethacin (anti-inflammatory)
Metoclopromide (antiemetic for nausea and vomiting)
Promethazine (antihistamine for allergy)
Tetrahydronaphthalene (used in dyes, fat solvents, resins)
Zaleplon (sedative)
Medical conditions which may cause blue or green urine are:
Biliverdin (liver disease)
Blue diaper syndrome or Hartnup disease (defect in tryptophan absorption)
Herbicide ingestion
Pseudomonas UTI (antibiotic resistant UTI)
From bright yellow-orange or dark yellow, this color may be the result of a urinary tract infection (UTI), lack of fluid intake or dehydration.
Brown
Often indistinguishable or difficult to tell apart from dark red urine, brownish pee may even be caused by the same diseases as red urine due to the presence of blood in the urine. There are, however, some medications which specifically cause pee to turn brown, including:
Acetaminophen overdose (pain reliever)
Metronidazole (antibiotic for vaginal infections and amoebiasis)
Niridazole (treatment against flatworms)
Nitrofurantoin (treatment for urinary tract infection)
Foods that produce brown urine are:
Fava beans
Rhubarb
Black
An alarming color but don't rush to the emergency room just yet. Common medications responsible for black urine are:
Methyldopa (antihypertensive)
Cresol (food additive in ketchup, cheese, bacon, smoked foods)
Iron (included in multivitamins)
Laxative (stool softener)
L-dopa (anti-Parkinson's drug)
Methocarbamol (muscle relaxant)
Sorbitol (sugar alcohol found in apples, pears, peaches, prunes)
Black urine disease or alkaptonuria is a genetic disorder of phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism. The toxic byproduct of this disease causes osteoarthritis, damage to heart valves and kidney stones.
White
Albinuria or white urine may appear milky white to thinly white. Diseases related to this urine color are:
Chyluria (leakage of lymphatic fluid in urine)
Filariasis (roundworm infestation)
Lymphatic fistula (abnormal connection between urinary tract and lymphatics)
Schistosomiasis (parasitic infection with liver fluke)
Lipiduria (presence of fat cells in urine due to nephrotic syndrome)
Propofol infusion (injection with the anesthetic Propofol)
Proteinuria (excessive protein in urine in kidney disease)
Pyuria (pus cells in urine)
Urinary tuberculosis (TB of the urinary tract)
Hypercalciuria (elevated calcium in urine)
Hyperoxaluria (excess oxalate, a component of kidney stones)
Phosphaturia (phosphate in urine, a component of bone and teeth)
Blue or green
When you see that the toilet water has turned blue, don’t blame it on Toilet Duck. Several medications may cause your pee to turn into this unusual color:
Methylene blue (anti-malarial drug, dye, component of urinary analgesic)
Amitriptyline (anti-depressant)
Clorets breath mints
Cimetidine (anti-ulcer)
Flupirtine (analgesic)
Indomethacin (anti-inflammatory)
Metoclopromide (antiemetic for nausea and vomiting)
Promethazine (antihistamine for allergy)
Tetrahydronaphthalene (used in dyes, fat solvents, resins)
Zaleplon (sedative)
Medical conditions which may cause blue or green urine are:
Biliverdin (liver disease)
Blue diaper syndrome or Hartnup disease (defect in tryptophan absorption)
Herbicide ingestion
Pseudomonas UTI (antibiotic resistant UTI)
The abutting time you see your urine about-face an abnormal color, aphorism out the dejected aliment appearance in the cupcake you ate, or the abridgement of fluids that’s causing the aphotic chicken cast in your pee, or the medications you’re taking. You charge to accomplish a absolute analysis whenever the blush of your urine changes. If you can’t aphorism out the causes listed above, see your doctor for your accord of mind.
Dr. Diana Sarmiento is a mother of three, part-time doctor, and a full-time wife and mother. The topics closest to her heart are women’s health, parenting, and any new information that she can get her hands on. Read more on her personal blog, Filipina M.D.
