Why does urine appear dark in color, and how dangerous is it? What to do if the urine is dark.
Each of us noticed that the color of his urine periodically changes. Yes, normally urine should be light yellow. But it is not always constant and deviations are possible; the color may lighten or darken. And in this article we will talk about those cases when the urine becomes dark. In fact, there can be many reasons, some of them are quite harmless and pass quickly, but sometimes the dark color of urine hides the pathological processes occurring in our body and often in such cases it is important to promptly suspect something is wrong and begin prompt treatment.
Why does urine become dark, what affects it?
To understand the main reasons that lead to darkening of urine, let's look at what, in principle, affects its color. Urine contains a coloring pigment, which at normal concentrations makes it straw-yellow. If the concentration of this pigment in the urine increases, its color will be darker. This pigment is called urochrome, also known as urobilin. Before acquiring its final form and coloring urine, this element goes through many metabolic stages. It first enters the intestines in the form of bilirubin along with bile. There it undergoes further breakdown under the influence of microflora to urobilinogen. It is then absorbed into the bloodstream, where it becomes urobilin. After which the kidneys remove it from the body along with urine. This is how urine becomes colored. It should be noted that when interacting with oxygen and sunlight, urine darkens. This happens because it also contains urobilinogen, which, under the influence of the above factors, turns into urobilin. That is, when the urine sits, as a result of chemical reactions, the concentration of urochrome will increase and the urine will darken.
NOTE!!!
If you are going to take a urine test, it is better to collect it immediately before delivery. Also try to limit exposure of urine to sunlight. And close it tightly with a lid. Thus, the composition of the urine will be close to the original.
So, we found out that urine becomes dark due to a high concentration of urochrome. Then let's find out why its concentration is exceeded and the urine darkens. Of course, not only it can change the color of urine, it happens that other substances get into it that change its color.
Dark urine - what is the reason?
The causes of dark urine can be divided into two main groups:
- Physiological – related to the characteristics of life.
- Pathological – various kinds of diseases and dysfunctions of internal organs.
You can also highlight some points that relate to gender. In men and women, sometimes there can be different reasons due to the structural features of the body and hormonal levels.
Natural (physiological) causes of dark urine
Natural factors that can cause darkening of urine include the following:
- Dehydration – This can occur during increased physical activity, for example after playing sports.
- Foods – Some foods can cause dark urine.
- Taking medications - if, while taking medications, the color of your urine has become dark, then read the column about the side effects of the medications you are taking. It is quite possible that the culprit is some kind of pill.
Also remember that in the morning the concentration of urochrome is higher than usual and the urine at this time is darker, this is the norm.
Urine has become dark - signs of pathology
The most common pathogenic causes of dark urine are dysfunction of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys and urinary tract. In general, the culprits are all those organs that participate in the digestive processes. Since they are directly involved in the formation of coloring pigment. Also, metabolic disorders can cause the urine to become darker. During inflammatory processes in the liver, bilirubin is formed in much larger quantities and, as a result, there will also be more urochrome, and the urine becomes dark and cloudy. When the urine becomes cloudy and sediment appears in it, this means that the concentration of some components has significantly exceeded the norm, one of which is salt. But cloudy urine can also occur due to pus getting into it, as a result of inflammatory processes in the urinary system. If you are poisoned, dark urine is a common side effect, since vomiting and diarrhea cause dehydration. If the urine not only darkens, but also acquires a greenish, reddish or some other shade other than yellow, then this already indicates foreign impurities in the urine, for example, blood.
If the dark color of urine has pathological roots, then you will experience other symptoms in the form of various types of ailments.
Pathological features in men and women that affect darkening of urine
There are a number of pathological reasons that are characteristic only of a particular gender, let's talk about them.
Pathologies that cause darkening of urine in men:
- Inflammation of the urethra - this causes pus and mucus to enter the urine, causing it to become cloudy and dark.
- Inflammation of the prostate.
- Inflammatory processes of the epididymis.
- Scrotal injuries.
All of the above pathologies entail additional secretions that change the color of urine and, of course, additional symptoms - pain when urinating, increased temperature.
NOTE!!!
If your temperature is higher than normal, even if at first glance you are healthy and confident in the absence of any colds, then this indicates the presence of inflammatory processes. For example, you may have hurt yourself and while your body is healing the wound, your temperature may be slightly higher than usual.
Dark urine about the cause of pathologies characteristic of women:
- Tumors of the cervix.
- Venereal diseases.
- Violation of the vaginal microflora.
Due to these ailments, the urine will not only become dark and cloudy, but its smell will also change. Also, you are unlikely to fail to notice the presence of discharge from the genitals.
Dark colored urine during pregnancy - is this normal?
When a woman is pregnant, all her organs are put to the test. Urine often turns dark due to dehydration during pregnancy. Vomiting and diarrhea dehydrate the body, and along with the fluid it loses a lot of useful substances. A woman needs to drink more fluids and take as many vitamins as possible to replenish losses. By the way, nutritional supplements taken by pregnant women can also affect the dark color of urine.
In the later stages of pregnancy, the uterus puts significant pressure on the internal organs, which can cause stagnation of bile. Because of this, the bilirubin content in the urine increases.
Impaired kidney function during pregnancy is not uncommon; if you have lower back pain and your urine has acquired a dark, cloudy hue, you should immediately consult a doctor.
It's time to sum up and finish our article. Urine is a good indicator of our health and the functioning of our internal organs. Therefore, we need to be able to distinguish its signals, we need to know when this indicator does not portend trouble, and when we need to be alert and seek the help of a doctor. If the urine has become darker for physiological reasons, then it is necessary to pay attention to changes in diet and lifestyle, perhaps they were the cause. When they are adjusted, everything should fall into place. In the case of pathology, as a rule, there must be other additional symptoms that clearly indicate to you that something is wrong.
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The coloring of urine occurs due to the entry of urochrome into the liquid. The more of this substance produced by the kidneys, the darker the urine of a man. In addition, darkening of urine can occur due to a certain disease. Urine also turns darker when consuming foods containing natural and synthetic dyes.
Diseases that lead to dark urine
In a healthy person, urine is usually yellow or amber in color. A clear liquid, without impurities, flakes, or inclusions, is considered normal. It is urine that the patient has to give every time if he feels any unwell.
Pathologies that lead to changes in urine color can be divided into several groups. Liver diseases:
- Hepatitis. Due to damage to liver tissue, urobilin levels increase. Bilirubin is also excreted in the urine. The liquid may darken greatly, but remain transparent.
- Cirrhosis. Urine is literally brown, coffee-colored. Due to the inflammatory process, the patient's skin color becomes jaundiced, he loses a lot of weight, and periodically complains of high temperature.
- Cancerous tumor in the liver tissue.
With pathologies developing in the bile ducts, the color of the urine also changes. Pathologies that can be identified by the color of urine:
With these pathologies, bile pigment, bilirubin, also enters the urine. It turns the liquid a deep brown color, giving it a dark beer-like appearance. The effect is enhanced even more if the urine is shaken - abundant yellow foam appears on the surface.
Also, the cause of dark urine in men can be inflammatory processes affecting the kidneys. Fluid changes are observed when:
- Glomerulonephritis.
- Pyelonephritis.
- Stones in the renal pelvis, bladder.
- Cystic formations in kidney tissue.
- Cystitis.
- Bleeding affecting the kidneys and bladder.
Urine is colored by red blood cells that penetrate the urinary tract from collapsing vessels and capillaries. Urine takes on a dirty brown color when pus appears in it. With kidney disease, a person also regularly feels nagging or cutting pain in the lower back, his temperature rises, and there are jumps in blood pressure. It becomes painful to urinate, the legs, face, and other soft tissues swell greatly.
Men's urine may change color due to damage to the genital organs. Leads to pathology:
- A cancerous tumor growing in the testicles.
- Prostate adenoma.
- Prostatitis.
- Stones, sand in the urethra.
- Inflammation of the testicles.
- Orchitis.
If a man has suffered an injury to the groin area, he has had a bruise of the scrotum or an open injury to the penis, he also experiences a change in the color of his urine. Moreover, the dark color of urine may appear much later, when the healing process has already completed externally, but inflammatory processes are still occurring inside.
There are also other diseases that lead to changes in the color of urine, but do not affect the genitourinary area. Urine darkens when:
- Lupus erythematosus.
- Cutaneous porphyria (late)
- Malaria.
- Endocarditis.
- Tyrosinemia.
- Hemolytic anemia.
Don't be immediately alarmed when you discover that your urine has become too dark. It is possible to establish that the change in color occurred precisely because of the disease only after the urine has been submitted for analysis.
Negative provoking factors
External factors can also cause a man’s urine to turn dark brown. Transfusion of blood of an incompatible group or a compatible Rh factor also leads to a significant change in the color of urine. Urine also darkens when:
- Dehydration caused by food, medication, alcohol poisoning or severe intestinal infection.
- Excessive physical activity when a person loses too much fluid through sweat.
- Poisoning with heavy copper salts.
- Violation of hygienic care.
- Tolerating high temperatures: staying in a sauna, bathhouse, or on the beach for a long time, rising body temperature caused by a cold.
- Hypothermia.
- Hypervitaminosis with vitamin C and some B vitamins.
The reason why a man's urine is dark in color may be due to the use of certain medications.. Darkening is provoked by Aspirin, Metronidazole, Ascorbic acid, Nitrofuran, Cephalosporin antibiotics, Phenol, Activated angle and others. It is impossible to say with complete certainty that taking medications is a negative factor, but if excessive darkening of the urine is accompanied by a rash or a feeling of discomfort when urinating, you should consult a doctor and ask to change the drug.
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Natural causes
Probably every person has noticed that in the morning his urine has a richer, dark brown color. Don't be scared and run to the doctor. This is a natural reason - concentrated urine collects in the bladder overnight. The longer a man endures, the darker the liquid will be.
The content of urochrome, which is responsible for the coloring of urine, also increases if a person deliberately drinks little. Since there is nothing to “dilute” the dye, the urine that accumulates in the bladder becomes increasingly darker.
If for some reason you decide to take a sena decoction, be prepared for the fact that your urine will also become much darker. The reason is a natural dye that causes the liquid to darken. Cascara herb has the same effect. If you stop taking the decoctions, your urine will return to its usual yellow color within literally four hours.
Beets eaten in large quantities give a slightly reddish, brown tint to urine. In general, many foods can affect the color of urine (red meat, carrots, beans, beans, products with added soy). Moreover, synthetic dyes “color” the urine more intensely and are more difficult to remove from the bladder.
If a man’s urine has become dark in color for natural reasons, this can be eliminated quickly. It is enough to normalize your diet or replenish the water-salt balance, and stop taking coloring decoctions.
What does dark urine indicate?
What will the diagnostics show?
What should a man do first when he discovers a change in the color of his urine? Establish that the reason for the staining of urine is pathological. It is necessary to observe the color of the liquid throughout the day to see if it changes. The next morning - pee in a jar and evaluate the consistency of the urine, whether there are impurities, turbidity, mucus, blood.
Moreover, when making a diagnosis, what matters is how long a man has urine of an unnatural color. And all other accompanying symptoms are taken into account. You should urgently contact a urologist if:
- Urine has an unnatural color for longer than two days, the color of the liquid is dark, regardless of the time of day and the number of drinks consumed.
- A rash of unknown origin appeared on the stomach and chest.
- The penis turned red and some pimples appeared on it.
- Urinating is painful, unpleasant, and there is a burning sensation in the urethra.
- The amount of urine has decreased, although it seems that there is still something in the bladder.
- It cuts, burns, presses in the lower back, there is pain in the groin, perineum, and above the pubis.
Naturally, the urologist will refer a patient with such complaints to undergo a urine test. Be sure to collect the morning portion, the very first one. It should be brought to the laboratory in a closed jar as soon as possible after urination. If it is not possible to take the test within an hour, it is necessary to store a portion of urine in a dark place, since sunlight also causes the liquid to darken.
Subsequently, a more in-depth examination of the patient is carried out. He may be recommended to donate blood to determine the hepatitis virus, and biochemistry of blood and urine will be done. If there is a suspicion of damage to internal organs, an ultrasound scan of the peritoneum, kidneys, and liver is performed. Computed tomography is also highly informative for diseases of the pelvic organs.
Features of treatment
Any treatment can begin only after the doctor determines why a man has dark urine and makes an accurate diagnosis. If the cause is dehydration, the flow of fluid into the human body is regulated. Since in case of poisoning it is not always possible to keep the swallowed liquid in the stomach due to vomiting, patients are given IVs that normalize the level of salts and water in the tissues.
When the cause of dark urine is inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary organs, the urologist prescribes antibacterial therapy and also recommends taking medications that reduce pain.
It is not advisable to “treat the kidneys” yourself if you see darkening of the urine, since this sign may indicate the development of a tumor. Benign tumors can be removed or simply observed to see if they degenerate into cancer. Malignant tumors are most often removed, and the patient is also prescribed chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
If the liver is damaged, the patient must undergo procedures aimed at eliminating toxic damage to body tissues. Detoxification is carried out by introducing drip solutions of glucose and ascorbic acid. To restore normal liver function, a man is prescribed a whole range of medications: Karsil, Heparin - to improve microcirculation in liver cells, Ursosan to accelerate regeneration, Eslidin to normalize protein and fat metabolism.
Does a man have black urine every morning, but it turns back to normal color throughout the day? He needs to independently reconsider his fluid intake regimen during the day. A person should drink at least 2 liters of water per day to maintain the normal functioning of the body.
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Brown urine causes real panic for many, as it can indicate serious pathologies. Let's consider the causes of this phenomenon, methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Slight changes in urine color are considered normal. Darker urine in the morning is associated with increased concentrations of urochrome. When drinking heavily, it changes color to bright yellow. But in some cases, the change is caused by pathological or physical conditions.
- A dark shade can be caused by excessive consumption of preparations based on aloe, legumes or rhubarb.
- Various laxatives that contain sena grass or cascura, antibiotics, antimalarial medications also provoke color changes in the fluid excreted by the body.
- In some cases, prolonged abstinence from urination and drinking insufficient amounts of fluid causes the body fluid produced by the kidneys to turn dark.
But the situation is much worse if all of the above factors are absent. In this case, dark urine color may occur due to serious kidney and liver diseases.
If you suddenly begin to feel not quite well, you are constantly unwell, but you do not know where to start the examination and which specialist to contact, pay attention to the color of your urine. He can tell you a lot. The color of the urine of a healthy person is yellow, in some cases – deep yellow, depending on the pigments it contains – urochromes, uroerythrins, urobilins, and so on. In addition, color saturation may depend on the concentration of urine - the greater its specific gravity, the more intense the color. It is noteworthy that the color of the urine of newborn babies (from several days to two weeks) has a reddish tint due to the fact that it contains a lot of urea.
The color of urine can change depending on many indicators
As already noted, the norm is yellow urine. Sometimes clear urine color may be normal. However, in some cases, clear urine can be the cause of diabetes mellitus and some kidney pathologies.
To diagnose a particular disease, urine tests are carried out first. One of its main characteristics is the color of urine, which determines. What a person eats, what diseases he has, and so on.
Remember: unnatural colors of urine are not always an indicator of pathology! Sometimes it depends on the intake of certain foods and medications.
So, urine may take on a greenish color if, for example, you take certain vitamins. But it turns bright orange from carrots. In addition, some foods may contain artificial colors, which can also produce less-than-natural shades of urine.
But if symptoms continue for a long time, you should immediately consult a doctor. You may be developing a serious illness.
So, for what reasons can the color of urine change? First of all, it depends on the amount of fluid you drink: the more water you drink, the lighter the urine will be.
In addition, medications can color urine, so if you are taking any medications, this may be a completely natural condition.
A change in the color of urine does not cause pain, but if you still experience some discomfort or pain, this may indicate an inflammatory process in the genitourinary system. Associated symptoms may include the following conditions:
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Frequent urination
- Fever
- Fever and chills
- Abdominal pain
- Specific repulsive odor of urine
In addition, there are a number of medical factors that can also affect changes in urine:
- age (men over 50 often experience bleeding in the urine due to dysfunction of the prostate gland)
- urinary system infections
- infectious kidney diseases
- heredity of kidney diseases
- physical overexertion
Any of the above factors can cause blood to appear in urine and, accordingly, turn it red.
- See also:
Possible colors and reasons that cause them
What diseases can be judged based on the color of urine? Let's figure it out.
Normal color of urine from a healthy person
Dark colored urine may be due to:
- lack of fluid and increased concentration of urochromes
- eating certain foods
- taking quinine, rifampicin and some other medications
- taking vitamins C and B
- jaundice
- increased number of red blood cells
- copper poisoning
- cirrhosis
- infections
- vasculitis and so on.
Brown urine may appear after eating aloe, rhubarb and beans. Also, this color of urine often appears after taking antimalarial medications and medications intended for the treatment of urinary tract infections, laxatives, and antibiotics. Among the diseases that can give this color are cirrhosis, hepatitis, and kidney diseases. If sediment also appears in dark urine, or it becomes , this may indicate the formation of stones. Often the urine darkens after a blood transfusion procedure, this occurs due to the massive destruction of red blood cells.
If you notice reddish urine color, do not immediately panic. For example, your urine may be red after eating beets, or perhaps you ate blackberries the day before. If this is really the case, then there is no need to worry or worry. The condition is much more serious and dangerous when blood appears in the urine. This may be caused by problems related to the genitourinary system, kidney stones, or exercise. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. After all, a rich red color may appear due to the presence of blood in urine, and this is a sign of many urological diseases, such as glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, and so on.
You should not postpone your visit to the doctor even if your dark yellow urine. In addition to taking medications, other causes may include a serious illness such as hepatitis. In addition, dark yellow color of urine can be acquired due to dehydration of the body (this occurs with vomiting, diarrhea, heart failure).
Beer-colored urine may be a consequence of parenchymal jaundice. With this disease, bile pigments appear in the urine - and. If you shake such urine, green foam will certainly appear in it.
Lemon-colored urine almost always speaks of a disease such as obstructive jaundice.
Green urine may occur from taking medications that contain dyes, as well as from eating foods with artificial colors. Among the natural products that can turn urine green is asparagus.
After eating carrots or carrot juice, you may experience orange urine. In addition, this tint appears when taking medications intended to treat the urinary and genital tract.
Bright yellow urine with sandy sediment may indicate the formation of kidney stones.
Milky white urine– a sign of bacterial damage to the urinary system and some infections. If it appears, you should immediately go to the hospital and undergo the appropriate tests.
Black urine- a symptom of many diseases, especially such as Maciafava Michelli's disease, alkaptonuria, melanoma.
Medicines that cause discoloration
Many medications can also affect urine and its color. Here are some of them:
- Aspirin (or acetylsalicylic acid) sometimes turns urine pinkish
- Rifampicin (used for tuberculosis) – produces brownish-red tints
- Metronidazole is also capable of turning urine red and brown.
- Triamterene (a diuretic drug) makes urine blue-green
Normalization measures
If the color of your urine suddenly changes and becomes far from natural, but you feel quite well and no other symptoms accompany this condition, wait a day. Perhaps you just ate something wrong, or didn’t drink enough liquid.
In the same case, when a changed color of urine becomes a common occurrence and a chronic course of this condition is expected, or you begin to experience some other alarming symptoms (stomach pain, your temperature has risen, and so on), do not hesitate - consult a doctor .
The specialist will definitely conduct an examination, collect a medical history of your life including your diet, ask about what medications you are taking or have taken, and, of course, write out directions for tests.
If the color of urine is indeed pathologically changed, the cause of this condition must be determined. And only after it is determined can the correct treatment regimen be developed and prescribed.
When making a diagnosis, a description of the patient’s lifestyle is an important indicator.
To avoid such problems in the future, you should adjust your drinking regime and in no case allow your body to dehydrate. If the urine has become dark, the first step is to replenish the lost and missing fluid.
In addition, it is extremely important to monitor your sexual health and prevent the development of infections. Also, you should not wait for a long time if you want to go to the toilet - you need to empty your bladder regularly and at the first urge. Also, monitor the hygiene of your genitals, undergo regular preventive examinations, which will help you identify existing problems in a timely manner and eliminate them at an early stage.
And, of course, do not forget about a healthy lifestyle, give up smoking, alcohol, and other bad habits, this will reduce the effect of toxins and chemical elements on the body. Your life should be active and healthy. This will one hundred percent help you avoid many problems and prolong your life for many years.
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Make an appointment with a doctor right now and don’t put off the problem for later.