Different Urine Colour: causes & what it means

There are a lot of conditions that could cause changes with your urine colour like orange, blue, red, green, brown, etc. Some can be mild and mean nothing, while others can be very serious and you would need to see a doctor.

What Is URINE?

It’s a liquid waste produced by the kidney and it contains mainly water (up to 95%) and other waste substances like urea, ammonia, creatinine etc.

What’s The Normal URINE COLOR?

The colour of a normal urine ranges from pale yellow to amber.
The urine gets its colour from a pigment called “Urochrome” and this color depends on if the urine is diluted (that is has a lot of water) or of it is concentrated (that is, has little water).
If diluted, it will be pale
If concentrated, it will be deep

urine colour

Diluted urine can become very clear, just like water, and this happens when a person drinks too much liquid e.g. water,alcohol etc.

Concentrated urine can be caused by dehydration, when you work in the sun or hot conditions, during exercise or when you do not take enough water.

Other Urine Colors & what they mean

Discolored urine can be caused by some food, drugs and diseases

ORANGE URINE– Causes include ;

  • Drugs such as Azulfidin, pyridium and some cancer drugs.
  • Orange colored food like carrots.
  • Dehydration can also cause orange colored urine.
  • It can also indicate a problem with the liver especially if you have light colored stool.

RED URINE- Causes include;

  • Medical conditions that can cause red urine include UTI, enlarged prostrate, kidney cysts, kidney stones etc
  • Foods like blackberries can also turn urine red.
  • Some drugs like Rifampicin used in TB treatment can cause red urine

DARK BROWN/ COCA-COLA URINE– Causes include;

  • Eating large amounts of “fava beans”.
  • Drugs like chloroquine, Flagyl etc can turn your urine brown.
  • Its also seen in Liver disease, kidney damage and UTI.
  • Extreme exercise can also be a cause

BLUE OR GREEN URINE- Causes include;

  • Blue or green food dyes. Some of these dyes are used in making colored cake. So you should know if you had this urine after eating a cake.
  • Some drugs like amitriptyline, propofol can also causes it.
  • A rare inherited disorder called “Blue Diaper Syndrome” causes blue urine.
  • UTI caused by pseudomonas causes green urine.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR HEALTH!!!

Author

  • Dr. Egemba Nonso Bobby

    Dr. Egemba Nonso Bobby popularly known as Aproko Doctor on social media. DR. Egemba holds an MBBS degree from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Founder of @DHealthyThreads, an Actor and a loving Husband. You can follow Dr. Egemba on: @Aproko_Doctor

    View all posts
Leave a reply