What are the causes of urine color change

urine

Urine consists of approximately 95% water and substances that the body wants to get rid of, as it is produced by the filtration of blood after it reaches the renal tubular units (in English: nephrons), which represent the functional units in the kidneys. After urine is formed, it is transported From the kidneys to the ureters, and from there to the bladder, where it is stored there until it exits the body through the urethra, under human control. It can be said that the normal amount of urine excreted daily is approximately 0.5 -2 liters. It should be noted that the normal color of urine ranges from pale yellow to dark golden.

Causes of urine color change

It can be said that changing the color of urine from its normal color may be due to many reasons, and the reason can be distinguished based on the color in most cases, and this is explained as follows:

• Pink or red color: Although some people believe that changing the color of urine to red or pink may seem frightening, it is often due to simple things occurring, including the following:
  • The presence of blood in the urine, which may appear as a result of a urinary tract infection, an enlarged prostate, the formation of stones in the kidneys or bladder, or the presence of kidney cysts. Or running very long distances, or due to the presence of tumors that may be benign or malignant.
  • Eat some types of foods such as rhubarb, red beets, and blackberries.
  • Taking some types of medications such as rifampin, which is an antibiotic often used to treat tuberculosis, and some laxatives such as senna, and phenazopyridine.
• The color orange: Urine may appear orange in color due to the following conditions:
  • Taking some types of medications such as sulfasalazine, which represents an anti-inflammatory, some types of chemotherapy drugs, some types of laxatives, as well as phenazopyridine.
  • Suffering from some health problems and disorders such as dehydration. Lack of drinking water causes the color of the urine to become orange, and on the other hand, the orange color of the urine can give the impression of problems with the liver (in English: Liver) or the bile duct (in English: Bile Duct), especially if it accompanies this. Color: The color of the stool has changed to become light.
• Blue or green color: Urine can appear green or blue due to:
  • Dyes, which may sometimes be used to conduct kidney and bladder examinations. On the other hand, there are some dyes that are added to foods that may cause urine to appear green.
  • Taking some medications such as amitriptyline, propofol, and indomethacin.
  • Suffering from some health problems such as familial benign hypercalcemia, which is considered a rare genetic disorder, and the color of urine may appear green if the bacteria causing the urinary tract infection are Pseudomonas bacteria.
• Brown or black color: Urine appears this color due to the following:
  • Eat large amounts of fava beans or aloe vera.
  • Taking some medications such as methocarbamol, which is considered a muscle relaxant, some antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin and metronidazole, some types of laxatives, and some antimalarials such as Primaquine. ) and chloroquine (in English: Chloroquine).
  • Some kidney and liver disorders, and some types of urinary tract infections.
  • Exercising beyond the normal limit.
• Blur color: Sometimes a urinary tract infection, as well as the presence of kidney stones, can cause urine to change color and become cloudy.

doctor review

You must consult a doctor in cases where the color of urine changes and the person cannot attribute this change to eating any type of food or medication, or as a result of suffering from dehydration. You must also consult a doctor if the color of urine appears brown and this is accompanied by pale stool color or yellowing of the skin. Finally, you should see a doctor if blood appears in the urine. Seeing a doctor is necessary for early detection of the cause of the condition, and it should be noted that the doctor’s knowledge of the cause contributes to prescribing the appropriate treatment at the right time. The doctor often diagnoses the condition and infers the cause by asking the patient about the first appearance of this color, and if it is accompanied by the appearance of a strange odor. And whether the injured person suffers from pain during urination, and other important questions, after which the doctor examines a urine sample, and may request a blood sample examination in some cases, and may request an ultrasound scan (in English: Ultrasound).

Factors that increase the likelihood of urine color changing

There are some factors that increase the possibility of a person changing the color of urine, and they can be summarized as follows:

• Family history: If a family member suffers from kidney problems and disorders, including the formation of stones, the person may be more likely to suffer from these disorders, and therefore a change in urine color can be attributed to such conditions.
• Age: The probability of developing kidney and bladder tumors increases as a person ages, and thus the possibility of urine changing color to red due to the appearance of blood in it may increase as a person ages. On the other hand, the probability of prostate enlargement increases when a person exceeds fifty years of age.