Dark yellow urine is a sign to drink more fluids. Amber-colored urine can indicate dehydration. Orange urine can be caused by various foods or medications or be a sign of potential liver problems. Pink or red urine can be caused by foods or medications or it can also be a sign of blood in the urine.
As a general rule of thumb, it's usually a good sign for your health when the color of your urine is a pale shade of yellow. If you have urine that resembles another color, you should be aware that this is not normal. Abnormal colored urine may look clear, orange/brown/amber, pink/red, or even green/blue.
Colors of concern
If you haven't recently eaten beets or any other red-hue foods, pink to reddish coloring is cause for concern. It means red blood cells are likely present in a large enough amount to discolor the urine. These blood cells in your urine can be a sign of infection, kidney stones or even cancer.
When your kidneys are failing, a high concentration and accumulation of substances lead to brown, red, or purple urine. Studies suggest the urine color is due to abnormal protein or sugar as well as high numbers of cellular casts and red and white blood cells.
Normal urine is a transparent yellow. If it looks cloudy, that is often another sign of a UTI, Rifken says. Cloudy or milky urine can also be a symptom of diabetes that is poorly controlled, a bacterial infection or kidney problems, including kidney stones.
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.
Clear pee is most often a result of drinking a lot of water. But, in some cases, it can be a sign of an underlying health condition. In addition to overhydration, the most common causes of clear urine include kidney issues, diabetes, diabetes insipidus, medications, and pregnancy.
One of the early signs is the appearance of swelling over the ankles, feet or legs: One will start to notice edema at these sites which pits on applying pressure and is termed as pitting edema. As the kidney function begins to fall there is sodium retention which causes swelling in your shin and ankles.
Pale or transparent yellow urine
Diabetes insipidus is a condition in which the body produces excess urine. It can cause people to pass large quantities of light-colored urine every time they urinate. It can also cause people to feel very thirsty, leading them to drink fluids frequently.
Bright yellow pee, even as dark as amber, may be harmless, but it could be a sign that you're a little dehydrated or taking more vitamins than your body needs. You may want to check with your provider on what vitamins your body doesn't need as much so you can cut back.
High-dose vitamins can turn your pee a bright, almost neon-yellow color. The most common culprit is vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, which is found in most multivitamins. The neon color in pee is just a harmless sign that you're taking more than your body needs, and the excess is mixing with your pee.
Generally, the healthiest urine color is pale or light yellow to gold. The yellow color is due to the pigment urochrome, an end product of the breakdown of hemoglobin found in blood.
Generally, earlier stages are known as 1 to 3. And as kidney disease progresses, you may notice the following symptoms. Nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, swelling via feet and ankles, dry, itchy skin, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, urinating either too much or too little.
What does kidney pain feel like? Kidney pain often feels like a dull ache that gets worse if someone gently presses on that area. While it is more common to feel kidney pain on only one side, some health problems may affect both kidneys and cause pain on both sides of your back.
For most people, the normal number of times to urinate per day is between 6 – 7 in a 24 hour period. Between 4 and 10 times a day can also be normal if that person is healthy and happy with the number of times they visit the toilet.
Discolored urine
Another common symptom of kidney stones is blood in the urine. This can make your urine discolored red, pink, or even brown. Note: it's possible to have blood cells in your urine without any visible color changes.
Healthy urine is usually a pale to medium yellow color, it's clear, and has a subtle pee odor. These characteristics tell you that you're drinking enough water, and nothing is visibly abnormal.
In most cases, blood in the urine (called hematuria) is the first sign of bladder cancer. There may be enough blood to change the color of the urine to orange, pink, or, less often, dark red.
Foamy, frothy or bubbly urine.
If the kidneys are damaged or infected, a person can experience abnormal urination, including clear urination. They may also have other symptoms, such as painful urination or a fever. A set of rare conditions known as Bartter syndrome, or potassium wasting, can also cause a person to urinate frequently.
Changes in urine color, transparency, and smell
A pinkish or reddish hue may indicate the presence of blood in the urine, while a greenish tone could be a sign of a bacterial infection. Cloudy non-transparent urine may be another sign of infection, but it may also suggest an abnormal level of salts in the liquid.
Common areas for this type of itching include the head, arms, back, and abdomen. It also tends to be worse at night, which can disturb your sleep. The itching is lower in intensity just after dialysis as the blood urea levels will be lower. However, it increases in intensity two days after dialysis.