The picture above was taken by Heather West at Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. Heather was one of the scientists in the lab that gathered all of the urine samples, which only took a week to complete. As perfectly picturesque as these pristine pee portions are, the important thing to take from this photo is what colors raise a red flag when it comes to your urine.
Red
Red urine can be caused by a variety of things, and the color can vary from a pale pink to a deep red. From increased red blood cells from strenuous exercise, to blood in the urine. It can be increased by a number reasons from bladder cancer to eating too many beets. The best thing to do when you see your urine is red or suspect blood in the urine would be to contact your physician immediately.
Orange
Many medications can cause your urine to turn to a tint of orange. An increase in B-Vitamins, Rifampin or other medications used to treat TB, and Pyridium (for pain relief during urination) can cause the urine to turn a tinge of orange. Also, an increased amount of carrots or carrot juice can have a similar effect.
Yellow
Yellow is the natural color of urine. For someone that is properly hydrated, the urine should be a straw color. If your urine is darker yellow, it may mean that you are dehydrated and should try to drink extra water.
Green
Green urine is an indication that there is something blue mixing with the natural color in your urine. A few medications can cause green urine like Tagamet (heartburn), Elavil (amitriptyline), and Michael Jackson's drug of choice propofol. Asparagus can also cause the urine to turn a tinge of green. Green urine is usually just a harmless side effect.
Blue
Blue urine is usually only caused by the drug methylene blue, which was first used as a cure for Malaria during WWII. Today it is used commonly in procedures, usually in a dentist office.
Purple
Purple is the only urine color that has a syndrome named after it: purple urine bag syndrome. It occurs when someone has a urinary catheter. Bacteria colonizing the catheter, the collection bag, or both produce a substance called indirubin, which is red, and indigo, which is blue, and they combine to make a bright purple color.
White
Urinary tract infections sometimes turn urine a milky-white color because they provoke an immune response that unleashes a flood of white blood cells. Other causes of whitish urine include uric acid crystals from eating purine-rich foods, such as anchovies, herring, and red meat (lamb, beef, and pork), and phosphate crystals from excess parathyroid hormone.
Brown
If the red of red urine is dark, it may look brown or even black. In such cases, the causes of brown or black urine may be the same as those of red urine. But urine can turn truly brown. Bilirubin, another breakdown product of hemoglobin, sometimes builds up in the blood because of liver conditions, like hepatitis and cirrhosis, or a bile duct blocked by gallstones, a tumor, or some other obstacle. If some of that excess bilirubin gets into the urine, the urine can turn a brownish color. Hemolytic anemia, when too many red blood cells get broken down at the same time, also produces a bilirubin surplus that may taint urine. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, can, in rare instances, put melanin, the pigment that darkens skin, in circulation, and some of that pigment may wind up in the urine. Foods that may turn urine brown include fava beans and rhubarb.
If you have any questions or concerns about urine, your first call should be to your doctor, but the second should be to The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy of Largo to answer any questions you may have. 727-501-0188.
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