When To See A Doctor
Normal urine color varies, depending on how much water you drink. Fluids dilute the yellow pigments in urine, so the more you drink, the clearer your urine looks. When you drink less, the color becomes more concentrated. Severe dehydration can produce urine the color of amber.
But urine can turn colors far beyond whats normal, including red, blue, green, dark brown and cloudy white.
Seek medical attention if you have:
- Visible blood in your urine. Bloody urine is common in urinary tract infections and kidney stones. These problems usually cause pain. Painless bleeding might signal a more-serious problem, such as cancer.
- Dark or orange urine. If your urine is dark or orange particularly if you also have pale stools and yellow skin and eyes your liver might be malfunctioning.
Kidneys Are A Filter System
The main job of the kidneys is to remove waste from the blood and return the cleaned blood back to the body. Each minute about one litre of blood one-fifth of all the blood pumped by the heart enters the kidneys through the renal arteries. After the blood is cleaned, it flows back into the body through the renal veins.
Each kidney contains about one million tiny units called nephrons. Each nephron is made up of a very small filter, called a glomerulus, which is attached to a tubule. As blood passes through the nephron, fluid and waste products are filtered out. Much of the fluid is then returned to the blood, while the waste products are concentrated in any extra fluid as urine .
The urine flows through a tube called the ureter into the bladder. Urine passes from the bladder out of the body through a tube called the urethra. The kidney usually makes one to two litres of urine every day depending on your build, how much you drink, the temperature and the amount of exercise you do.
A healthy kidney can greatly increase its work capacity. With two healthy kidneys, each kidney performs 50 per cent of the normal kidney function. If one kidney is lost, the other kidney can enlarge and provide up to 75 per cent of the normal kidney function .
Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy
Well-functioning kidneys are essential to your overall health. Early detection of kidney disease can be life-saving. Medication and changes to lifestyle, along with an early referral to a kidney specialist, can prevent or delay kidney failure.
If you are at increased risk of chronic kidney disease, talk to your doctor about having a regular kidney health check.
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Risk Factors You Can Control
Drinking too little water is the most common cause of kidney stones. Diet also plays an important role. Eating a lot of animal protein, sodium, and high-oxalate foods, such as chocolate or dark green vegetables, can boost the risk for kidney stones in some people. Other risk factors include drinking sweetened beverages, putting on weight, and taking certain medications.
What Do Kidneys Do
One of the main jobs of the kidneys is to filter the waste out of the blood. How does the waste get in your blood? Well, your blood delivers nutrients to your body. Chemical reactions in the cells of your body break down the nutrients. Some of the waste is the result of these chemical reactions. Some is just stuff your body doesn’t need because it already has enough. The waste has to go somewhere this is where the kidneys come in.
First, blood is carried into the kidneys by the renal artery . The average person has 1 to 1½ gallons of blood circulating through his or her body. The kidneys filter that blood about 40 times a day! More than 1 million tiny filters inside the kidneys remove the waste. These filters, called nephrons , are so small you can see them only with a high-powered microscope.
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Blue Or Green Colored
OK this is definitely different.
Most likely, its the result of something you ate or a medication, says Dr. Bajic. However, a rare genetic disease involving hypercalcemia can turn your urine blue or green. Ditto for certain bacteria that can infect the urinary tract.
See your doctor if you continue to urinate this color.
What Color Is Urine When Kidneys Are Failing
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- In Blog, Kidney Disease, Kidney Stones
Kidney failure is a condition in which one or both kidneys can no longer work on their own. It may be due to an acute injury to the kidneys or a chronic disease that gradually causes them to stop functioning. When kidneys are healthy, they clean the blood by removing excess fluid, minerals and wastes. But when they are failing, harmful wastes build up in the body and excess fluid is retained, changing the appearance, amount and number of times urine is passed.
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World Kidney Day Logo Guidelines
- The logo for World Kidney Day is composed of two kidneys and three bright color bars. These colors represent the blood , excess water and urine that our kidneys filter, clean and eliminate.
- You can use the logo in color or in black & white, but please do not alter the design and use it on a white background.
- You are most welcome to translate World Kidney Day and the date to your own language. The best way to do this is to use the vectorized EPS file , to open it with Adobe Illustrator and replace the existing text with the text in your language.
Please note that WKD logo is copyrighted. The logo cannot be modified except for translation purposes. Commercial use of the logo is NOT permitted. The logo cannot be associated with any other logo or brand name without specific permission. Commercial industry does not have the right to use the WKD logo or these materials unless they are official global or national WKD Sponsors. For more information,
Uploaded
Calcium Phosphate Stone Formers
From Systemic diseases
Primary hyperparathyroidism and renal tubular acidosis raise average urine alkalinity and foster calcium phosphate kidney stones. Many uncommon genetic diseases do the same.
Idiopathic
Idiopathic calcium phosphate stone formers share a common set of traits. Perhaps because urine contains far more phosphate than oxalate, they form more frequent and larger stones than idiopathic calcium oxalate stone formers. Often the stones originate as crystal plugs at the terminal ends of the kidney tubules. More crystals deposit over the end of the plug open to the urine, to make the final stone. Crystal plugs damage the cells that line the tubules and cause local scarring.
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Why Is My Urine Red
If you see red when you pee, its tempting to hit the panic button. But it isnt always a sign that something is really wrong.
Have you eaten beets, blackberries, or rhubarb lately? If so, these may be the cause of your red or pinkish urine, Dr. Clifton says.
Certain medications, including phenazopyridine , a drug that numbs urinary tract discomfort, and over-the-counter laxatives that contain senna can turn your urine reddish-orange, she says. The same holds for Rifampin, an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis.
Is it blood? It could be, she says. The medical name for blood in the urine is hematuria.
Other reasons for red or red-tinged urine may include blood from UTIs, she says. However, blood in the urine is usually not the only symptom of a UTI.
Infections have other signs, including burning when urinating, urgency, and/or fevers, she says.
Kidney stones are another cause of blood in your urine, Dr. Clifton continues.
If it is a kidney stone, you may feel pain on one side versus another, and it can be very severe pain, she says.
Bladder stones may also cause you to have blood in your urine. These are small, hard crystals that form in your urine and can become trapped in your bladder.
For men, blood in the urine may be a sign of prostatitis, a prostate inflammation that can be caused by infections. Its the most common urinary tract problem in men under age 50 and the third most common after age 50.
What Color Is Urine When Your Kidneys Are Failing
When kidneys are failing, the increased concentration and accumulation of substances in urine lead to a darker color which may be brown, red or purple. The color change is due to abnormal protein or sugar, high levels of red and white blood cells, and high numbers of tube-shaped particles called cellular casts.
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Fatigue Being Tired All Of The Time
Why this happens:
Healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin , or EPO, that tells your body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they make less EPO. With fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, your muscles and brain tire very quickly. This is anemia, and it can be treated.
What patients said:
I was constantly exhausted and didn’t have any pep or anything.
I would sleep a lot. I’d come home from work and get right in that bed.
Why Is My Pee Clear
Clear urine actually refers to urine without any cells, debris, particles, or cloudiness. This is a good thing.
However, many people refer to urine without a strong color as clear, when the actual word they mean is colorless or diluted.
Nevertheless, the more water you drink, the less color your urine has.
Occasionally colorless or light-colored urine isnt an issue, especially if youre temporarily drinking more water than normal.
If your urine is consistently clear, absent of color, diluted, and occurs frequently, it could signify a health issue like kidney problems, diabetes, or overhydration.
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What Is The Color Of Urine When Kidneys Are Failing
When kidneys are failing, the increased concentration and accumulation of substances in urine lead to a darker color which may be brown, red or purple. The color change is due to abnormal protein or sugar, high levels of red and white blood cells, and high numbers of tube-shaped particles called cellular casts. The presence of blood in urine may make urine appear red or the color of tea or cola. Dark brown urine occurs in kidney failure due to the buildup of waste products in urine or urinating less often and in smaller amounts than usual.
Foaming or fizzing urine may also be a sign of kidney failure, though foam is not a color and usually occurs due to increased protein in urine or kidney disease. Foamy urine indicates a diminished ability of the kidney to filter and clean the blood.
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What Color Does Purple Symbolize
Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. The color purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.
Foaming Or Fizzing Urine
The explanation here could just be basic hydraulics, says Dr. Bajic. Basically, youre emptying a lot out of your bladder and stirring up toilet water a bit more than usual with a heavy and intense stream.
However, foaming or fizzing also could indicate excess protein in your diet or a kidney problem. See a doctor if this happens consistently.
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Preventing Future Kidney Stones
If you had a calcium stone, your doctor may suggest cutting back on salt, which cause the body to dispense more calcium into the urine, as well as animal protein. You may also be advised to avoid high-oxalate foods, including chocolate, instant coffee, tea, beans, berries, dark leafy greens, oranges, tofu, and sweet potatoes. The best way to ward off new kidney stones is to drink enough water to keep urine clear.
The End Of A Very Long Post
Thats my parade.
The common animals and the rarer animals have gone by, and you have glimpsed the main ones, big and small.
The one point is what it was at the beginning. Each kind of kidney stone has its own ways, and treatment requires we know which one you have.
Likewise, for whatever that one may be, it is good to know as much about it as you can know. For long term prevention of stones is hard to come by and ultimately what the patience and and consistency of patients themselves matters most.
Track down old reports and pull them together.
Keep copies and send everything to the doctors who care for you.
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Pink To Reddish Colored
The explanation for this unexpected turn on the color wheel could be as simple as what you ate, notes Dr. Bajic. If beets, blueberries or rhubarb passed through your lips within the last day or so, you may be seeing the results.
If you havent eaten anything like that, though well, there may be a reason for concern. Pink or reddish urine could be a sign of:
- Blood in your urine.
Contact your doctor as soon as possible if the color doesnt return to yellow.
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What The Color Of Your Urine Means
The color of your pee can offer clues into your health, but kidney disease typically doesn’t show any visible symptoms, so the only way to know if you have it is to get tested. Even if your urine looks okay, kidney damage may be hiding in the form of protein. Get checked to know for sure!
Clear/Pale yellowGood! This means you are well hydrated and have been drinking plenty of water and fluids!
Dark yellowYou might be dehydrated. Drink more water.
Pink to reddishMay be caused by some foods or it may be blood in your urine. Have your doctor test your urine to be sure.
BlueCertain food dyes can turn your urine blue when your body doesn’t absorb them during digestion.
Foamy or fizzy
Risk Factors You Can’t Control
White men have a greater risk for kidney stones than other groups, starting in the 40s. Women see their risk rise in the 50s. And your odds also go up if you have a family history of kidney stones. Certain medical conditions can boost the risk — high blood pressure, gout, urinary tract infections, certain kidney conditions such as polycystic kidney disease — but treating or controlling these conditions generally helps prevent stone formation.
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What Affects The Amount Of Urine A Person Produces
The amount of urine a person produces depends on many factors, such as the amounts of liquid and food a person consumes and the amount of fluid lost through sweat and breathing. Certain medications, medical conditions, and types of food can also affect the amount of urine produced. Children produce less urine than adults the amount produced depends on their age.
Figure 1. Kidney location
Figure 4. Microcirculation of the kidney
Points to Remember
How May These Be Treated Naturally
Kidney stones might be treated naturally be these remedies,
Reducing toxins and therefore the stress on kidneys.
Drinking sufficient water to assist the excretion of toxins.
A diet rich in antioxidants and low on acids for instance,
Kidney beans Pomegranates
Cabbages and broccolis Purple grapes
Egg whites Watermelons
Increased consumption of magnesium with dark green vegetables.
Increasing calcium from dietary sources and avoiding its supplements.
Reducing consumption of proteins and salts.
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Feeling Faint Dizzy Or Weak
Why this happens:
Anemia related to kidney failure means that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. This can lead to feeling faint, dizzy, or weak.
What patients said:
I was always tired and dizzy.
It got to the point, like, I used to be at work, and all of the sudden I’d start getting dizzy. So I was thinking maybe it was my blood pressure or else diabetes was going bad. That’s what was on my mind.
Why Is My Urine Orange
As you may recall from art class in elementary school, red plus yellow makes orange.
If your urine has an orangey hue, it could be blood, according to Dr. Clifton.
If urine is dark and orange, especially if you have pale stools or yellow skin and eyes, it could be a sign of a liver issue, Dr. Clifton says. This should be evaluated, she notes.
She says that the anti-inflammatory drug sulfasalazine , phenazopyridine, some laxatives, and certain chemotherapy drugs might also cause urine to be orange.
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