Laboratory diagnostics of biological fluids, in particular urine, allows specialists in various fields of medicine to understand what processes are occurring in the patient’s body. One of the most important parameters, which is visible even to the naked eye, is color. A healthy person has a straw-yellow hue.
If certain pigments predominate or, conversely, are absent in urine, then this indicator will definitely change. For example, some people notice that their urine is clear. But in each clinical case, this characteristic may indicate both the presence and absence of pathology.
Natural causes of colorless urine
With high fluid intake and, accordingly, frequent urination, urine discoloration may occur, which is the absolute norm. At the same time, the bladder fills very quickly, so the urine simply does not have time to color.
The color of urine in most cases depends on the amount of fluid a person takes during the day.
If clear urine appears from time to time, then its cause may lie in the influence of the following factors:
- abuse of diuretics or drinks (tea, coffee);
- drinking alcohol;
- active physical activity;
- emotional overload;
- hypothermia.
Many of these factors can be corrected independently, and the color of urine will become normal.
Causes
Urine is clear, like water - what could this mean? Why does this symptom occur? If the patient’s condition is not systemic, but is observed periodically, then the reason often lies in the following:
- Abuse of diuretic drugs, that is, tablets, as well as teas that contain diuretic herbs.
- Drink a large amount of green and black tea, as well as coffee.
- Intense physical activity, hard work.
- Experienced stress.
- Severe hypothermia of the body.
- Drinking alcoholic beverages.
Those people who take calcium and phosphorus supplements may also experience urine that is a little lighter than usual. By analyzing the harmless causes of urine clear as water in an adult, you can easily identify those that provoked such a symptom. In most cases, you cannot do without the help of a specialist, since a change in the shade of urine may indicate the development of any diseases. Let's study this in more detail.
Treatment methods
Reasons for the appearance of dark urine in a child and how to normalize it
It must be balanced. It is necessary to eat lean meat, fish, legumes, grains, vegetables, eggs, walnuts and seeds.
Special drinks that can be prepared at home will help restore hydration in both men and women. One common one is lemon remedy. To prepare it, take 2 liters of purified water, add 100 ml of lemon juice and ½ tsp. sea salt and 1 tbsp. l. honey
The next healthy drink that will return a healthy color to urine and restore water-salt metabolism is coconut juice in combination with sea salt. You need to take 400 ml of juice, add ½ tsp to it. sea salt and the same amount of honey, pour 1 liter of water.
A homemade drink based on lime and lemon has proven itself well. You need to take 1 liter of water, then add lemon, orange and lime juice in equal proportions, you will also need 1 tsp. sea salt.
All drinks are able to compensate for the electrolytes lost by the body.
People who lead a sedentary lifestyle, often eat spicy and meat dishes, regularly drink alcoholic beverages and smoke are prone to disturbances in water-salt metabolism. A disorder manifests itself in the form of joint pathology, the color of urine changes, crunching and pain appear in the extremities, spurs form, etc. Patients have a tendency to swelling, surges in blood pressure, and changes in the acid-base balance.
If a person drinks large quantities of water, he may develop water intoxication. In this case, complications may include hyponatremia or hypokalemia. Symptoms of these pathologies include vomiting, white urine, general weakness of the body, and in rare cases, convulsions. In the worst case, at the most severe stage, a specialist can diagnose pulmonary edema or ascites.
To replenish potassium reserves in the body, you need to introduce foods such as dried apricots, raisins, prunes into your diet, and drink freshly squeezed apricot, peach or cherry juice. Sometimes a specialist can prescribe medications that contain potassium, for example, asparkam.
Hyponatremia is typical for patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis. It is also observed in people with kidney pathology, liver cirrhosis, etc. Symptoms of this disease are:
- fast fatiguability;
- headache and dizziness;
- irritability;
- diarrhea.
Treatment usually consists of intravenous injections of saline solution.
For hypercalcemia, the doctor prescribes diuretic drugs. These include furosemide and potassium chloride. In some cases, it is necessary to take salmon calcitonin.
Symptoms of clear urine
Red urine in a woman. causes of pain, after 40-50 years, with sediment, clots, during pregnancy
In addition to the color of urine, clinical studies determine the completeness of its transparency. This helps to establish a diagnosis and identify diseases. Cloudy urine indicates inflammation and pathogenic bacteria in the urinary tract. This can also be due to poor hygiene of the genital organs, an increase in the number of leukocytes, epithelium, etc.
A change in odor with colorless urine is a reason to seek medical help. A sharp and unpleasant urine odor occurs with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and infections in the genitourinary system. Pain and pain during urination often accompany cystitis and urethritis, other inflammatory processes in the urinary organs.
Hematuria in any quantity indicates the presence of internal bleeding, which can occur both in the bladder itself and in the kidneys. As soon as this symptom appears, you need to go to a clinic or hospital.
Pathologies in men and children
In men, white urine is observed when:
- prostatitis,
- urethritis,
- diseases of the endocrine system,
- immunodeficiency,
- urolithiasis,
- pyelonephritis,
- nephrosis,
- inflammation of the glans penis,
- kidney tuberculosis,
- fatty kidney degeneration.
White threads in the urine, whitish flakes, purulent inclusions - all this can accompany the above ailments in men. Often, white impurities in urine indicate the content of leukocytes and act as symptoms of inflammation that begins in the organs of the genitourinary system.
Here's why white urine is possible in children:
- pathologies of the kidneys and urinary tract,
- worm infection,
- filariasis,
- in girls - mucus discharge from the vagina that gets into the urine,
- in boys - an anomaly of the foreskin, when pathological mucus enters the urine and accumulates in the pockets of the foreskin.
Causes of light urine
Perhaps everyone knows the feeling when it is necessary to take tests to undergo a medical examination. Yes, of course, this procedure is not very pleasant, but few people suspect that only through a thorough and high-quality urine analysis can any abnormalities in the functioning of the human body and certain organs, in particular, be identified.
In addition, self-monitoring of the color of urine while going to the toilet can help identify disease threats. Therefore, you should not neglect such a simple, but at the same time, such an effective method.
Typically, the ideal urine color is considered to be golden straw color. Not orange, not red and not at all transparent. Of course, the color depends on the concentration of a special pigment in the liquid.
Due to certain diseases and malfunctions of the body, its amount may vary, as a result of which urine may become either too bright or even similar to water
Of course, in this case it is also necessary to take into account how long the observation is carried out
If, for example, you didn’t eat anything for a whole day and just drank water, it’s quite natural that your urine will be clear. Or another option: if you have been “leaning” on boiled beets for several days, your urine may become brightly colored. It’s worth taking a closer look, and if the urine continues to have an unnatural color (for three days or more), you should go get tested and undergo a medical examination.
Often urine becomes clear if a person drinks too much, tea and coffee in particular, since they have diuretic properties. So, if a person often feels the urge to urinate, then the pigment does not have time to accumulate in the urine, which is why it becomes colorless.
Another option for why urine becomes colorless could be a disease such as diabetes. In this case, you should pay attention to the smell of the liquid - if it has a sweetish smell, you should conduct an independent experiment. For two weeks, you should drink significantly less liquid, and after this period, check the color and smell of the urine again. If it continues to look like water, there is every suspicion that the person has diabetes.
Sometimes pregnant women experience this symptom. Their urine has a sweetish odor and is much lighter in color than usual. This is considered normal, so there is no need to worry too much; over time, the body will improve its functioning and begin to function normally.
In men, it sometimes happens that sperm enters the urethra, resulting in light-colored urine. There is no need to worry about this, because within a few hours everything should return to normal, and the urine will become its usual color.
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Children's urine is also usually very light in color because the baby is usually fed breast milk. However, if this condition occurs at an older age, it is worth contacting your local pediatrician.
Usually, if no serious disorders or diseases have been detected in a person, the cause may be a violation of water-salt balance and metabolism. This diagnosis is usually given to patients who lead a sedentary lifestyle, abuse alcohol and smoking, love spicy and fried foods, as well as carbonated drinks and fast food.
In addition, it is worth replenishing the body's potassium supply. It is found in foods such as raisins, dried apricots, dried fruits, apricots, peaches, and cherries. It is also recommended to use fresh juices, prepared with your own hands, rather than store-bought ones. Sometimes your doctor may prescribe potassium tablets.
Other therapies
In parallel with the use of drug therapy, experts recommend performing therapeutic exercises. The fact is that sufficient physical activity stimulates metabolic processes in the human body, while improving the functioning of internal organs and systems.
It would be useful to use physiotherapeutic procedures. Most often, plasmapheresis, ozone therapy, electrophoresis, and other techniques are prescribed for these purposes.
If the urine has become clear due to renal failure, then experts recommend hemodialysis to patients.
Explanation of “dark yellow urine color”
This urine color may reflect the following conditions:
Dehydration
Dark yellow urine is often a sign that the patient is dehydrated or is not drinking enough water. One of the reasons for dehydration: due to intense sweating without replenishing lost water. Other important factors that lead to dehydration are excessive vomiting and diarrhea. Due to dehydration, the concentration of nitrogenous waste in the urine increases, the urine becomes concentrated, and the color of the urine changes from colorless to dark yellow. The high concentration of nitrogen-containing waste in the urine, along with a change in color, gives the urine a specific odor.
Medicines and nutritional supplements
Taking B vitamins and supplements can cause urine to appear dark or bright yellow. All B vitamins are water-soluble; if they are taken in doses exceeding the body's needs, then their excess is excreted in the urine. Medicines such as quinine and quinine derivatives, rifampin, warfarin, nitrofurantoin, and sulfamethoxazole may cause urine to appear dark yellow or orange, and urine may appear dark after recent use of laxatives.
Eating certain foods
Another common cause of temporary changes in urine color is eating certain foods. For example, if you eat asparagus, your urine may be dark yellow or greenish in color. Excessive consumption of foods rich in B vitamins, carotene and vitamin C also changes the color of urine from bright to dark yellow. On the other hand, eating large amounts of beets turns the urine reddish-purple, and eating blackberries and rhubarb gives the urine a red tint.
Diseases and disorders
Persistent yellow coloration of urine can be caused by jaundice. Along with urine, with jaundice the skin and sclera of the eyes are colored yellow. The color change in jaundice is caused by the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood, which is a metabolite of old red blood cells. Normally, the liver removes excess bilirubin from the blood and it is excreted in bile. The process of bilirubin metabolism is disrupted by excessive destruction of red blood cells or liver diseases caused by infections or the action of certain medications.
Impaired flow of bile in the bile duct system can also cause jaundice by interfering with the flow of bile into the digestive system. Liver infections such as hepatitis A, B and C, infectious mononucleosis and leptospirosis, paracetamol overdose, liver cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, liver cancer can cause jaundice by damaging liver cells. Diseases such as malaria, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, Gilbert's syndrome, etc. can also cause jaundice due to increased breakdown of red blood cells. Conditions that obstruct the flow of bile, thereby causing jaundice, include gallstones, pancreatitis, cholangitis, and cancer of the bile ducts and pancreas.
Hemolytic anemia is another factor that can cause urine to change color to dark brown or yellow. In hemolytic anemia, hemolysis of red blood cells is increased, which is not fully compensated by their maturation in the bone marrow. The number of red blood cells in the blood decreases, and increased breakdown of red blood cells increases the level of bilirubin in the blood and causes jaundice.
In addition to being dark yellow, urine may be orange, brown, or greenish in other conditions.
Causes of cloudy urine
Physiological reasons
In a healthy person, urine may become cloudy due to water imbalance. This happens when a person has drunk little liquid over the past 24 hours, or a lot of water has been excreted through sweat (for example, when visiting a sauna or heavy physical activity). Dehydration does not require treatment, and for urine to become clear, it is enough to establish the correct drinking regime.
If the daily menu is dominated by foods high in protein (meat, cottage cheese, eggs), this also reduces the transparency of urine. The cause of cloudy urine can be certain medications that change its composition. Therefore, before taking the test, it is recommended to tell your doctor what medications or vitamins you are taking.
In women, temporary cloudiness of urine can be observed after sexual contact, contamination of a semen sample submitted for analysis, or failure to comply with the rules of intimate hygiene when collecting excrement for analysis. Urine is also often cloudy during pregnancy, because due to hormonal changes it contains an increased amount of salts.
Diseases that cause the urine to become cloudy
The physicochemical properties of urine can change due to the development of a pathological process. Inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system, sexually transmitted diseases, often lead to the loss of its transparency. With an STD, protein flakes, admixtures of pus or blood may appear in the urine, and it acquires an unpleasant odor. Microbiological examination reveals the presence of a pathogen.
The list of STDs that cause cloudy urine:
- Gonorrhea. The causative agent is Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Its signs in men are pain and burning in the penis, swelling of the scrotal tissue, mucous membranes, and in advanced cases, purulent discharge from urine. Women experience atypical vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor, and pain may be felt during sexual intercourse.
- Trichomoniasis. Caused by the single-celled microorganism Trichomonas vaginalis. It is often asymptomatic and is discovered when complications develop - prostatitis in men, vulvitis or vaginitis in women.
- Candidiasis. A fungal disease, the causative agents of which are opportunistic microflora - microscopic yeast-like fungi Cryptococcaceae Candida. The result of infection is inflammation of the genitourinary organs: in women it is vulvovaginitis, vulvitis or urethritis, in men it is balanitis or balanoposthitis.
- Chlamydia. The infectious agent is the intracellular microorganism Chlamydia trachomatis. Typical symptoms of the disease are discharge from the urethra, discomfort in the lower abdomen, dysuria (burning and/or pain when releasing urine, itching in the urethral area).
- Mycoplasmosis, ureaplasmosis. The causative agents of these diseases are opportunistic microorganisms Mycoplasma hominis or Ureaplasma urealyticum; a typical symptom in men and women is chronic urethritis (inflammation of the urethra). When examining urine, mycoplasmas themselves are detected, as well as gardnerella, which, with the development of the inflammatory process, replaces the natural microflora of the mucous membrane of the genitourinary organs.
In addition to STDs, the transparency of urine can be affected by dysfunctions of internal organs:
- prostatitis, prostate adenoma (due to the presence of breakdown products of protein, glucose and hemoglobin);
- cystitis (due to the entry into the metabolic products of red blood cells, urine may acquire a brownish color);
- pyelonephritis (a characteristic indicator of the disease is the presence of protein in the urine).
Evidence of the inflammatory process in these diseases is the presence in the sample of liquid excrement of mucus, protein flakes and pathological microflora. And if in the urine, in addition to loss of transparency, an admixture of blood is detected, this may be the result of damage to the urinary tract by urates (stones) due to urolithiasis.
Diagnostics
It is possible to say for sure whether it is good or bad if the urine is colorless only after undergoing a full medical examination.
To make an accurate diagnosis, specialists resort to the following diagnostic measures:
Interviewing the patient and collecting anamnesis. This allows you to identify factors that could cause your urine to become clear like water. In this case, no special treatment will be needed; it is enough to eliminate the adverse effects of external factors on the body and the state of health will return to normal. Examination of urine samples. Its physical properties and chemical composition are assessed. Only morning urine is suitable for analysis. You need to urinate immediately after waking up and collect the liquid in a clean jar. Before urinating, be sure to toilet the genitals
After this, it is important to get it to the laboratory as quickly as possible. This will help eliminate the possibility of receiving erroneous results. Blood test for sugar and hormone levels
It eliminates the possibility of diabetes and some other diseases. X-ray or ultrasound of the genitourinary system. With the help of such examinations, it is possible to identify structural changes in tissues, as well as the presence of structural anomalies. Computer or magnetic resonance imaging. These techniques allow you to study any organ in detail. Using special equipment, it is possible to obtain images in all possible projections.
Based on all the collected data, the specialist will be able to explain what the change in urine color indicates and make an accurate diagnosis. If necessary, a consultation with an endocrinologist, gynecologist, or gastroenterologist is carried out. Only after this can a treatment program be developed.
Norms
Every person who comes for a scheduled or extraordinary examination by specialized specialists knows that during the initial examination, after collecting an anamnesis, the stage of issuing referrals for tests follows. The patient must donate biological fluids (urine and blood) for laboratory testing.
Normal values when examining urine. Source: cistit.guru
Normally, with a good level of health, the following parameters will be indicated after examining urine:
- The color is natural (yellow), straw, but an amber tint is also allowed;
- The level of transparency is complete;
- There is no pronounced specific odor;
- A slightly acidic environment (pH) is determined;
- A small amount of protein and glucose is acceptable;
- Ketones, bilirubin and hemoglobin are completely absent;
- Red blood cells and white blood cells in small quantities in the field of view.
If the indicators deviate upward or downward, it is imperative to undergo a full examination. People whose urine is colorless should also be concerned about their health. Next, we will consider in more detail why a biological fluid lacks any shade, and when it is considered dangerous.
Causes of clear urine
But urine can cause more than just color changes. For some reason, urine can be colorless like water. This phenomenon also has its own explanation. The causes of such uncolored urine may be natural.
Ingesting a large amount of liquid (water, tea, coffee) or food products that have a diuretic effect (watermelon) leads to complete clarity of urine. At the same time, urine is released in a significant volume, provoking a frequent urge to urinate.
Discolored urine quickly regains its color when you stop taking large amounts of liquid. But if the reverse process has not occurred, the reason for the appearance of urine without color will be different.
Factors that contribute to the appearance of urine that is almost water-colored will be different in adult patients and in children.
In men
The appearance of colorless urine in men indicates the onset of diabetes mellitus, the initial symptom of which is increased thirst, which entails drinking a significant amount of liquid. In this case, urination occurs more often at night. In addition, another symptom confirms the development of diabetes, as evidenced by the presence of an unpleasant odor in urine.
If men have white urine, this condition can be caused by sperm entering the urinary canal. As a rule, urine such as milk occurs at the end of urination in a man. This process is natural, since after a few hours the color of urine is restored and does not require additional therapeutic intervention.
The patient, in this case, can independently perform a visual inspection of the urine and verify its normal color by urinating into a glass container after a certain time.
Among women
The causes of white urine in women can be pregnancy, when a hormonal shift occurs, often accompanied by toxicosis. During this period, there is a deficiency of fluid in the body of a pregnant woman, which leads to increased fluid consumption. This means that the urine becomes paler. Over time, the color of urine is restored.
Just like in men, if women have colorless urine, then this pathological process indicates the development of diabetes mellitus, accompanied by constant thirst, drinking large amounts of liquid and the presence of a bad and unpleasant acetone odor.
In addition, gynecological pathology can cause a change in the color of urine. If it becomes milky in color with the presence of impurities in it, this means that there is an inflammatory process of the vagina or uterus.
In children
Why does a child's fluid change in color under different circumstances? The appearance of colorless urine in a child is a normal condition of his immature excretory system. This type of urine is observed in newborns. In addition, such biological fluid is observed in breastfed infants.
In older babies, urine may change color due to the introduction of complementary foods or medications. With age, as the child’s excretory system develops, the shade of urine becomes normal.
In older people
Why is the appearance of white urine like water in elderly patients a concern? Due to the slowdown in metabolic processes in older men and women, urine is normally darker rather than yellow. Therefore, the appearance of such urine indicates the development of renal failure, which is a reason for mandatory examination by a specialist.
The stronger sex
What are the causes of clear urine in men? If sperm gets into the urine, it may turn white. However, this condition occurs in representatives of the stronger sex in a matter of hours, without being a pathology. Drinking large quantities of water during physical activity, sports training, and work often provokes the appearance of light-colored urine. There is no need to worry about this.
An increase in fluid intake in men may also be associated with the development of hypertension or obesity. If a man is not in a gym or a hot room, then it will be important to measure the blood pressure. Perhaps in this case the pressure will be increased. Excessive discharge of colorless urine and severe thirst in men can act as symptoms of diabetes mellitus. If you suspect the development of this disease, you must take a blood test.
Causes of lemon-colored urine
Light yellow urine is most often observed in people who neglect their drinking regime. An increase in the concentration of pigments in biological fluid can also be explained by:
- increased sweating in the hot season, or in the presence of certain diseases;
- lactation period;
- edema in various pathologies;
- acute intestinal diseases;
- use of laxative medications.
These are the most common causes of lemon-colored urine in men and women. As for expectant mothers, this anomaly may have its own explanation.
What could it be if lemon-colored urine is observed in pregnant women? First of all, such changes in the color of urine occur with the development of gestosis - late toxicosis. This dangerous pathology is accompanied by a significant increase in blood pressure and swelling of the arms, legs, and face. In this case, light yellow urine may alternate with darkening of the urine, while it becomes cloudy and acquires a specific odor.
Preeclampsia is a dangerous pathological condition that can cause serious complications not only in the expectant mother, but also in the fetus. That is why, if in the late stages of pregnancy a woman has bright lemon-colored urine, you need to act immediately. Timely medical intervention will help prevent dangerous consequences for the health and life of mother and baby.
Prerequisites for discoloration
What will be the reason for urine that is clear like water? Please note that loss of shade is a very common symptom among healthy people. This may be due to too much fluid intake, which is observed with severe thirst, during the hot season, and also during intense physical activity. But the color is still present, just faintly expressed. You can see the yellowness if you urinate in a white, opaque container.
Reasons for the formation of light urine
Loss of normal urine color is not always caused by pathological disorders in the body. For example, as a result of consuming a large volume of liquid or foods with a high content of liquid, the density of urine decreases and it becomes light-colored. In this case, after normalization of the drinking regime, the color of the urine is restored. Treatment with diuretics and consumption of diuretic drinks in large volumes (coffee, tea) also help clarify the fluid removed from the body.
If colorless urine is accompanied by a frequent urge to urinate, it is most likely caused by drinking too much water.
It is important to remember that with the regular and abundant excretion of urine in its composition, useful substances (vitamins, microelements) necessary for life are also washed out of the body. If normalization of the drinking regime does not lead to restoration of the color and volume of excreted biological material, then you need to consult a doctor
This condition can occur with the following diseases:
- Diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. These pathologies are characterized not only by colorless urine, but also by its specific sweet smell. Diabetes insipidus is usually accompanied by severe thirst and, accordingly, excessive excretion of fluid from the body, which can cause dehydration.
- Kidney failure. The disease is accompanied by serious impairment of kidney function. If left untreated, there is a high risk of developing dangerous complications.
- Urolithiasis (UCD). A characteristic sign of the disease is the formation of stones (calculi) in the kidneys and other organs of the urinary system.
- Pathological disorders in the liver.
- Other diseases of the urinary system.
In addition to pathological disorders, discoloration of urine can occur as a result of sperm entering the urinary canal. The duration of this state is several hours, then the shade returns to normal. Colorless urine in pregnant women is often observed, since hormonal changes cause toxicosis, severe thirst, as a result, women drink a lot of liquid, which leads to increased urine output.
Prevention
It is important to regularly carry out comprehensive diagnostics for the purpose of prevention, especially if diseases of the kidneys, liver, and endocrine system were previously diagnosed. You should also reduce the impact of stress, avoid hypothermia, observe personal hygiene rules, and eat right. All this will lead to a reduction in the likelihood of developing various pathologies of internal organs.
