It so happens that certain processes occur in the human body that cause characteristic symptoms. We usually include skin rashes, changes in hair structure, brittle nails, and coating on the tongue. The same symptoms that indicate that something is wrong in the body include a change in the color, structure, or smell of urine.
The urine suddenly becomes reddish, brown, completely colorless or cloudy and has an unpleasant odor. And then suddenly bright yellow urine appears, the reasons why this happens are not clear? Let's find the answer to this question together:
Why does this happen?
Most often, there is no need to worry about changes in urine color, as this can happen for very simple reasons. For example, the color may change to pink or orange after eating certain foods, particularly beets and carrots, respectively. Well, after eating asparagus, the color becomes greenish, and the smell becomes sharp and unpleasant.
Sometimes, after a diagnosis has been carried out, in which certain medications are taken, the urine may acquire a blue or even purple tint. This changes its density and transparency. But after a short time everything returns to normal.
Why is urine bright yellow?
Taking vitamins can turn your urine bright yellow. Some antibiotics can also change its color. And if a person does not experience general malaise or pain, for example, in the lumbar region, there is no need to worry. Experts generally consider yellow, light yellow, perhaps deep yellow to be within normal limits. The saturation of the shade depends on the concentration of urine. The higher it is, the more intense the color.
But in some cases, urine may turn bright yellow for other reasons. For example, this often happens due to dehydration, when the body suffers from insufficient fluid intake. With chronic dehydration, the urine becomes very bright. This is an alarming signal and if action is not taken, the process of forming kidney stones may begin. Therefore, be sure to drink plain, clean, still water in the quantities you want, and do not get dehydrated.
Also, why is urine bright yellow? This color of urine may appear during active sports, intense training, or physical activity with increased sweating. In such cases, usually after exercise, a change in the color of the urine may occur. This also indicates dehydration. Here it will be enough to replenish the lost amount of fluid in the body.
A bright yellow color may also indicate a change in the amount of urobilin (a product of hemoglobin degradation). Therefore, sometimes this may indicate the presence of impaired renal or liver function. It can also mean that the body is trying to get rid of a large number of metabolic products.
In this case, drink more juices and add mineral water to your diet. It would be a good idea to undergo an examination at a medical facility. However, when and in what cases you need to see a doctor, I will tell you a little later. Now let's talk a little about the drinking regime:
What drinking regime is considered normal?
It is recommended to follow a drinking regime so that the urine has a normal color, normal smell, and healthy consistency. Experts recommend drinking at least 9 glasses of water per day, including any other liquid (soup, tea, coffee, milk, etc.). But you need to understand that all people are different and their fluid needs are different. Therefore, it is necessary, of course, to also take into account the age, state of health, body weight, lifestyle, intensity of metabolic processes and even a person’s gender.
Therefore, if a person has already drunk the recommended daily amount of liquid, but still wants to drink, this does not mean that he should forbid himself from drinking a glass of clean water. When you want to drink, you need to drink. Then, provided the body is healthy, the urine will be transparent, normal yellow, without an unpleasant odor.
When should you see a doctor?
Contact a specialist immediately in the following cases:
If the urine has acquired a reddish tint due to existing inclusions of blood, it has become cloudy and unpleasant, and has a strong smell. These may be signs of bleeding that began in any part of the genitourinary system.
Cloudiness may indicate the development of an infection in the kidneys or the presence of urolithiasis.
If the urine has a faint fruity odor, diabetes may be suspected.
If the urine turns dark brown in color, liver health problems may be suspected. For example, with cirrhosis and hepatitis, urine becomes the color of dark beer. If you shake the container with it, yellow foam will appear.
A change in the color of urine in a pregnant woman should cause alarm. Even if she herself does not have any complaints about her health, it is necessary to conduct an examination and take a test. Since such changes may indicate the development of inflammatory processes. They can have a negative impact on the health of not only the expectant mother, but also her unborn baby.
If a change in the color, density, or smell of urine is accompanied by a fever, pain, increased temperature, frequent urge to urinate, if nausea or vomiting occurs, also immediately contact a medical facility in order to prevent the development of a possible disease. Be healthy!
The color of a healthy person's urine normally ranges from straw to amber yellow. Most changes in urine color are temporary and do not cause serious consequences and develop as a result of eating certain foods, dyes, or medications. When you are dehydrated, your urine becomes more concentrated and darker in color. If you notice this, you need to increase your fluid intake.
You can add your comments and feedback to this article, subject to the Discussion Rules. Tell your doctor about changes in urine color that do not seem related to food or medications. Most color changes are not painful and go away without other symptoms.
The yellow color of urine is due to the presence of urochrome, a pigment that is produced during the breakdown of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells. Discoloration of urine is often caused by medications, certain foods, and food colorings. Although this condition may be alarming, the appearance of red urine is not necessarily associated with serious problems.
This may be the result of high levels of porphyrins, the same pigments that discolor the urine of people who have porphyria. Urinary tract infections or kidney stones can make your urine dark or cloudy. However, in some cases, you may want to initially see a doctor who specializes in urinary tract pathology (urologist).
If urine color is abnormal, there is no specific treatment; your doctor will prescribe you treatment aimed at eliminating the cause. Necessary to prevent changes in urine color caused by vitamin supplements, medications, and foods.
Determining the color of urine
Dark yellow color of urine is observed with congestive kidneys, edema, burns, diarrhea, vomiting, toxicosis, feverish conditions and is associated with an increase in the concentration of dyes. Pale yellow color of urine is observed in conditions leading to polyuria (diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus, renal glucosuria, renal failure) and a decrease in the concentration of coloring pigments.
Symptoms of changes in urine color
The red color of urine is due to either an admixture of fresh blood (nephrolithiasis, kidney infarction) or uroporphyrinuria (lead anemia). If there is altered blood in the urine, urine in the form of “meat slop” is observed, which is observed in acute glomerulonephritis and exacerbation of chronic glomerulonephritis. The “beer” color, or greenish-brown color of urine, is observed with parenchymal jaundice, which is caused by the presence of bile pigments in the urine - bilirubin and urobilinogen.
In addition, many medications affect the color of urine. Urine darkens when standing if drugs such as chloroquine, metronidazole, or nitrofurans are used. If there is a urine color that is suspicious of a pathological admixture (blood or bile pigments, urobilin, etc.), it is necessary to carry out the appropriate chemical reactions. In the absence of these pigments, the abnormal color of urine is obviously not associated with pathology.
When a person is healthy, his urine has a light yellow, almost straw-colored tint. The first and most common cause of dark urine and increased odor is dehydration.
Brown urine with an unpleasant odor often becomes a sign of the appearance of red blood cells in the blood, which is caused by bleeding of any of the organs of the genitourinary system. In men, dark-colored urine with a pungent odor appears in case of prostate disease, for example, adenoma.
Thanks to these pigments, urine has a yellow color, the intensity of which ranges from light to rich. The more metabolic products dissolved in the urine, the more intense the color. Thus, the color of the urine of a healthy person is determined, on the one hand, by metabolism (on which the amount of excreted metabolites depends), and on the other, by the volume of fluid secreted.
The color and intensity of urine are normal.
So in infants the urine is light yellow, in newborns it is almost colorless. However, in some cases, the color of urine in a newborn baby in the first 2 weeks after birth may have a reddish tint due to high levels of uric acid.
Urine fluid, as a rule, has a transparent consistency or is colored slightly yellow. The smell of a healthy person's urine is a bit like the smell of ammonia. If the urine takes on a pinkish or reddish tint, this may mean that there is bleeding in some area of the genitourinary system.
Causes of changes in the color and odor of urine
Cloudiness in the color of urine indicates an infection of the bladder or the formation of kidney stones. In addition to changes in the color of urine of a specific nature, you need to know that in the case of diabetes mellitus, the urine acquires a slight smell of fruit when there is excessive sugar in the blood.
Bright yellow urine indicates that a person is dehydrated because the body is not getting enough fluid. If a person is engaged in active physical activity and suffers from increased sweating, then after some time, especially after exercise, the urine may turn bright yellow. And if, for example, after this you drink ten cans of beer, then the urine, on the contrary, will become clearer. In order for urine to have a normal color, smell and consistency, you must follow several instructions.
Black urine is observed in a number of pathological conditions. A change in the color of urine indicates existing abnormalities in the health of the body. The color of urine changes depending on. how much fluid you drink.
Not every one of us can answer this question.
From early childhood, we simply get used to the fact that the main waste products in our body - blood and urine - have a certain color and smell, sobright yellow urine colordoesn't interest us at all.
However, this is the first criterion by which one can judge the quality of metabolism. From transparency and saturation The color of urine depends on the general state of health; they signal the slightest deviations and developing pathologies. It is for this reason that pregnant women undergo a general urine test every 2-3 weeks.
The special coloring pigments included in the liquid explainWhy is urine bright yellow?. The norm for a healthy person is urine ranging from straw to rich lemon shade. Its tone varies throughout the day, this is quite natural for the urinary system. For example, in the morning, immediately after waking up, you may notice thatdark yellow urineconcentrated colors . Main reasons darkening is due to the fact that a person has not drunk liquid or gone to the toilet for several hours, so a high concentration of coloring enzymes has accumulated in the urine overnight. The second portion will be much lighter, The color of daytime urine will turn amber.
Despite these fluctuations, the main thing is that the liquid remains generally yellow. shade . Otherwise, you should pay attention to the changes and visit a doctor - a therapist, a urologist - to exclude the possibility of a disease.
Why does urine color change?
Causes , according to which it is moderate yellow urine suddenly becomes bright, can be divided into physiological and pathological, with the former occurring much more often. This includes external factors, lifestyle, and behavioral characteristics of a person. No need to panic if it's light before urine turned lemon color – better analyze your behavior, and within a couple of days you will see the liquid of the usual shade.
Bright yellow urineis formed under the influence of several factors:
- diet
Manufacturers like to add numerous dyes, preservatives and flavors to products. There are fewer and fewer natural ingredients in our food, and additives contain a huge amount of pigment substances. Colored soda, candy, strong coffee, alcoholic drinks - all this is guaranteed to color urinary liquid. Moreover, the less pure water a person drinks, the higher the concentration of coloring enzymes in urine will be. Among the natural products that change the color of urine, the leaders remain beets, carrots and any citrus fruits. It is worth paying attention to the amount of salt consumed: its excess leads to stagnation of urine and the accumulation of toxins.
- dehydration
If a person drinks rarely and little, a serious disruption occurs in the urinary system. “Wasted” substances are not excreted in urine, but accumulate in the body, causing intoxication and chronic dehydration. The body is desperately trying to find some useful liquid in its depths; the process of reabsorption begins in the kidneys - sucking water from the urinary fluid. Urine becomes very concentrated and acquires a bright color. Dehydration most often occurs in hot weather, during sports activities with high sweating, and during diarrhea and vomiting.
- influence of medications
Many drugs contain active components that are not completely absorbed by the body, but settle in the kidneys for some time, giving the urine an unusual color. These are antibiotics such as Furacilin, derivatives of nitrofuran. Laxatives, causing loose stools, always provoke a large loss of moisture. This also includes tableted medications in colored shells, colored syrups, and herbal infusions. But most of all, urine changes its signsafter taking vitaminsgroups A, B, C. This is noticed even by children who eat handfuls of Revit secretly from their mother. “Multitabs”, “Pikovit” and other multivitamin complexes instantly color urine. Brightyellow urinebegins to smell a characteristic vitamin smell.
- climate change
Leaving for hot regions is always stressful for the body. In unusual conditions, a person sweats more and loses a lot of fluid. While on vacation, it is very important to drink at least 2 liters of clean water a day - it will help “wash” all toxins from the body.
Bright yellow urine in pregnant and lactating women
During the period of bearing a child, a woman may experience urine of a rich lemon color. As a major marker of health, pregnant women's urine is regularly tested. The doctor will immediately see the slightest changes in the composition of urine and, if necessary, take action. The main danger in this situation is gestosis. It is accompanied by high blood pressure and severe swelling, which causes dehydration.
During breastfeeding, women often experience hormonal imbalance. The body experiences a colossal water load: the kidneys work intensively, a large volume of fluid is spent on milk production, which can lead to dehydration. If you don't drink enough, toxins are not eliminated from the body, and the urine takes on a characteristic color.
However, not in every case this is a sign of pathology. If a woman takes a course of vitamins or undergoes herbal medicine, there is no need to worry about changes.
What does the color of urine in a newborn mean?
In the first days after the birth of the baby, urine has practically no color. This is due to the fact that the amniotic fluid does not contain anything that can color the liquid that the fetus receives and releases. After birth, the small organism begins to adapt to autonomous life and perform the functions of nutrition and urination. In the first week, the urine of a newborn acquires a certain color, becoming pale yellow. Moreover, normally its shade can change several times a day.
Parents should be wary ifbaby's urinebecame saturated yellow or bright lemon. Both options can signal nutritional problems, infections, or the development of a disease.
Urine color in men and women: norms and deviations
If your urine takes on an unusual color, you first need to exclude all factors that could affect the color and evaluate your lifestyle - drinking regimen, taking medications, nutrition. If there are no obvious reasons, then you should immediately contact a urologist, therapist and other specialized specialists. Beer-colored urine , dark yellow, lemon and even in some cases greenish indicates an inflammatory process in the organs of the urinary system: in the urethra, bladder, kidneys, ureters.
By the beer-colored urine, women can learn about bladder inflammation, infectious urethritis, pyelonephritis, as well as gynecological problems: vulvitis, endometriosis, colpitis. Urine brownish colors for men speaks of problems with the prostate gland, cystitis, urethritis, and kidney pathology. If foam bubbles are noticeable in the urine, this is a clear sign of this. that seminal fluid and prostate secretions penetrate into the urine. They have a very high content of protein and various impurities, which color the urine. high protein concentration. In this case, an urgent consultation with a urologist is required.
The bright yellow color of urine, especially against the background of pastiness, may indicate cirrhosis of the liver or liver failure, the presence of kidney stones, or chronic heart failure. Lemon urine is formed during infections of the gastrointestinal tract. During diarrhea and vomiting, the body loses a lot of fluid, and a huge amount of coloring toxins is concentrated in urine: urochrome, urozein, urobilin and others. Urobilin, a metabolic product of the enzyme bilirubin, changes the color of urine the most. It breaks down food in the small intestine and, under the influence of bacteria, turns into urobilin. Interestingly, this substance colors urine after it comes out during urination. A sharp darkening of the liquid, literally before our eyes, occurs due to the interaction of urobilin and oxygen.
Remember: only a comprehensive study will help identify the true cause. Several urine tests, ultrasound of the kidneys and pelvic organs will be required. If darkening of urine is accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, cramps and attacks of lower back pain - every minute counts!
Urine, like blood, instantly reacts to changes in the state of the body, but, unlike blood, it allows us to draw preliminary conclusions by simply visually analyzing it. In the body of a healthy person, urine is yellow in color with slight variations in hue saturation. This is observed in both adults and children. The shade of urine is affected by the urobilins, urochromes and uroerythrins contained in it, or rather, their concentration. In addition, the intensity of the shade is directly affected by the concentration of the urine itself - the higher it is, the more intense the color.
What can affect the color of urine?
The degree of urine transparency is no less informative than its color. In a healthy body, very light shades of urine indicate a large amount of fluid consumed, however, the same symptoms also occur with diabetes and certain kidney pathologies. Therefore, the slightest change in the usual color or cloudiness of urine should lead you to a doctor to have it submitted for laboratory analysis.
Changes in the color of urine can also be the result of the effects of the food a person eats, medications, and even certain types of vitamins. Excessive consumption of vitamins usually leads to urine turning greenish, but carrots give a bright orange color. Food additives and artificial colors can also change the natural color of urine. Let us make special mention of newborns. In a child up to two weeks old, urine without any special shades is often observed. This is absolutely normal and is explained by the consumption of milk and the difference in the activity of the gastrointestinal tract from a more mature organism.
As a rule, in a healthy person the pattern of urine coloring is not observed for a long time, and normalization is natural, but if significant color changes continue for a long time, it is worth undergoing a full examination. This is especially important for a child and a pregnant woman.
Reasons for the appearance of shades other than normal in urine
There can be quite a lot of changes in the shade of urine and each has its own reason:
- Dark colored urine appears due to insufficient fluid intake, use of quinine, rifampicin, vitamins C, B and medications. Diseases such as cirrhosis, polycystic disease, vasculitis, jaundice, and other infections, as well as poisoning with copper-containing substances, also lead to such symptoms;
- Brown color typical when aloe, legumes or rhubarb enter the body. Laxatives, antibiotics and anti-malaria drugs often cause this effect. Hepatitis, cirrhosis, kidney disease and some others also lead to such symptoms.
- Urine with a reddish tint often happens after eating beets or blackberries. This is absolutely normal, but if bloody clots appear in the urine, a whole range of serious problems are possible - kidney stones, prostate adenoma, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis and other pathologies. In this case, examination by a doctor is mandatory;
- Rich yellow color dark-colored urine can be caused by the use of medications or, which is much more dangerous, signal hepatitis. This shade is also observed due to dehydration of the body, which can be caused by frequent vomiting, diarrhea and even pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
- Urine the color and consistency of beer indicates the presence of bilirubin and urobilinogen in it, caused by parenchymal disease. What makes it look like beer is the foam that forms when such urine is shaken;
- Lemon colored urine speaks of obstructive jaundice;
- Urine of green shades, most often formed as a result of consuming medications or food products with artificial dyes. The exception to the rule is asparagus. This is the only natural product that produces this effect;
- Orange color carrots and their juice, as well as some medications, for example, furadonin, add urine;
- Yellow bright color in combination with sediment in the form of sand indicates the presence of stones in the kidneys;
- Milky white shade indicates excessive proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms in the genitourinary system;
- Black color of urine– a sign of serious and dangerous pathologies. This could be Makifawa Michelli's disease, melanoma and even cancerous tumors.
Medicines that change the natural color of urine
Let us consider in detail the medications, the use of which leads to staining of urine:
- Aspirin gives a pink tint;
- Rifampicin, phenazoperidine and metronijazole are red-brown;
- Triamterene – blue and blue-green shades;
- Sulfosalin and tetracycline – orange;
- Triamterene – blue and greenish shades;
- Phenacytin – dark brown;
- Phenindione – orange or red;
- Phenytoin – red or pink;
- Phenothiazine – Red, pink, orange, sometimes rusty;
- Furazolidone and chloroquine – brown;
- Quinine – black or brown;
- Zincophen – brown and red.
As you can see, the reasons that cause a change in the color of urine are very diverse, and can be either natural and harmless in nature, or indicate serious pathologies that require the immediate intervention of a specialist.
Symptoms that should alert you:
- Increased urge to urinate;
- Regular increase in temperature;
- Sudden chills and fever;
- Painful manifestations in the peritoneum;
- Foul smell of urine.
Regardless of the color of the urine, if one or more of the above symptoms appear, urgently seek examination.
The reasons why a man's urine changes color to unusual shades can be different. Its color often changes due to the intake of certain foods and medications, but it can also be a symptom of pathology.
How food and drinks affect color
Very often, food causes urine to turn bright yellow and orange. Most common shade change is happening after eating vegetables with a high content of pigments.
The amount of pigment secreted by the kidneys is depends on the state of the excretory and digestive systems and indicates the quality of metabolic processes.
Such products are:
- beet;
- carrots and carrot juice;
- pumpkin;
- asparagus
- drinks with yellow dye.
Inclusion in the diet asparagus makes the yellow tone of urine darker. Other vegetables are usually paint urine in bright yellow and orange tones.
Due to the large amount of food coloring in carbonated drinks, excessive consumption of them often turns the color of urine into an unnatural, bright yellow color.
What could a change in color mean?
By the shade of the analysis one can judge excretory And exchange processes in the body. Based on the color of urine, it is estimated functioning internal organs, their diseases are identified.
IN normal The color changes due to:
- lifestyle;
- physical activity;
- changes in drinking regime.
Maintaining active lifestyle, increased physical activity and sports affect the water content in the body. Increased activity is accompanied by increased sweating.
IN result The body loses water through the skin, and the urine becomes more concentrated and dark yellow.
Due to loss of fluid through sweat in the hot season The yellow color also becomes darker if the body does not receive enough water.
Normally, a person should drink at least 1.5-2 liters of liquid per day. Flaw This volume also causes an increase in the concentration of urine, and its yellow color becomes more saturated.
At various diseases urine darkens or, on the contrary, becomes a brighter shade, pale yellow. Such pathological conditions are:
- endocrine pathologies;
- kidney disease;
- liver diseases;
- poisoning and food infections;
- prostate problems;
- sexual infections.
For sugar and non-sugar diabetes The patient's urination becomes more frequent and increases volume of urine per day. As a result, its concentration becomes less, it acquires pale yellow color.
Fading yellow tone the same thing happens in the initial stage of chronic renal failure, when its concentration decreases.
With cardiovascular insufficiency, edema often occurs. Due to this accumulation of fluid in the tissues, less urine is excreted by the kidneys, the yellowness becomes more dark.
Liver diseases disrupt metabolism and its content in urine changes. As a result, she becomes lighter or acquires dark yellow color.
Due to infectious diseases and food poisoning, which are accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea, the body loses a lot of fluid. Happening dehydration, and urine becomes more saturated, concentrated and contains more toxins. As a result, its color becomes dark yellow.
In men, prostate pathology is a common cause. The disease prostatitis or prostate adenoma narrows the urinary canal, and urine is retained in the bladder. Because of this stagnation, it turns dark yellow.
If the light color changes to dark after sexual intercourse, then there are often various reasons sexually transmitted infections.
What medications can change the color of urine?
During treatment with certain medications, the color of urine is often changes a lot. Laxatives cause dehydration, and a lack of water in the body is manifested by a dark yellow color.
All vitamins Group B are soluble in water, so their excess concentration in the blood does not have time to be processed, and the excess is excreted by the kidneys. Vitamin B2 has the most pronounced effect, which tints urine in yellow-orange shade.
Dyeing orange and amber shades occur during therapy with quinine, the antibiotic rifampicin, and nitrofuran drugs.
Color interpretation
An experienced urine stainer can tell you a lot about the functioning of internal organs.
Revealing pale yellow colors testifies about reducing its density. This happens with endocrine diseases, kidney pathology, when the volume of urine increases and its concentration decreases.
Dark yellow color usually indicates stagnation or inflammatory diseases of the kidneys, prostate, and bladder.
Bright color usually given by external factors. Amber And light yellow shades appear due to the high content of food pigments in it. During treatment with certain medications, rapid staining occurs orange tones.
You cannot rely only on visual control. Therefore, a doctor who has sufficient knowledge and takes into account additional symptoms must determine the cause.
What to do if the color has changed
When the color of your urine suddenly changes, you should not immediately panic. A change in shade does not necessarily indicate an illness. If you feel well, the unusual coloration is simply a temporary phenomenon.
It is worth remembering whether your diet or lifestyle has changed recently. In summer you need drink more fluids and avoid overheating.
Urine color due to taking medications- this is only a temporary phenomenon and indicates the excretion of drug metabolites by the kidneys. After completing the course of treatment, the urine tone returns to its previous form.
You should take a closer look at your drinking regime and adjust it. To not allow dehydration during sports, visiting saunas, in the hot season.
At treatment of infections With dehydration, it is important to remember to drink plenty of fluids. Don't get carried away with harmful carbonated drinks with dyes.
Any change in color accompanied by painful symptoms is a mandatory reason to be examined by a doctor.
Changes in the color of urine in men occur due to physiological reasons, but can also serve as a symptom of disease. In any case, you should not engage in self-diagnosis, but consult a doctor.