Blue or green urine Blue urine can be caused by a rare genetic disorder. There may also be a less worrisome explanation for these colors. Certain food dyes and medications, for example, can turn urine blue or green. In most cases, the color-changing pigment in the urine should be washed out within one to two days.
A green or blue color in the urine is not very common. It could be caused by a rare genetic disease or a bacteria causing a urinary tract infection. But most likely it is caused by medication or food dye in something you ate (watch out for those green eggs and ham).
Blue or green urine can be caused by: Dyes. Some brightly colored food dyes can cause green urine. Dyes used for some kidney and bladder tests can turn urine blue.
Blue diaper syndrome is a rare inborn error metabolism that is usually detected when urine produces unusual blue stains on an infant's diapers (indoluria). This occurs when intestinal bacteria break down excessive amounts of unabsorbed tryptophan.
If your pee is…
Pseudomonas, bacteria that can cause UTIs, can turn your urine a deep shade of bluish green. It's pretty unusual, and most often happens in people with catheters, but it's something to be aware of. Eating asparagus, which is known to make your pee smell weird, can also tint your pee light green.
Seeing red or orange instead of the usual yellow can be alarming, especially if there are also symptoms like a burning sensation or pain with urination. The alarm may be justified: an abnormal urine color can be an early sign of a serious medical condition.
Certain medications can cause blue or green urine, including amitriptyline, doxorubicin, indomethacin, cimetidine, phenergan, triamterene, rinsapin, propofol, Prosed DS, sildenafil, and B vitamins [1, 2].
It mostly indicates ongoing urinary tract infection, where certain bacteria produce enzymes that metabolize tryptophan into indigo (blue) and indirubin (red) pigments to produce a purple color of urine.
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.
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.
What causes dark urine? Dark urine can be a sign of dehydration, jaundice, infections, and other health conditions. Certain medications and foods such, as rhubarb or beets, can also change the color of 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.
Blue urine causes can be a sign of excessive calcium levels caused by a genetic condition called familial benign hypercalcemia, or of a UTI caused by a type of bacteria called Pseudomonas.
Transparent and lacking in color
Transparent, colorless urine could also be a sign of some other health disorders, including diabetes and kidney disease, or from taking diuretic medication.
Numerous organisms have been reported as being responsible for the purple urine bag and include Providencia bacteria, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis or Klebsiella pneumonie.
Introduction. Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is a rare phenomenon which can be highly concerning and distressing for patients and their relatives. It is a complication of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in which patients produce purple urine in their catheter tubing and bags.
Methylene blue is used to assess the integrity of the bowel and may cause self‐limiting bluish or greenish hue to the urine.
Abnormal urine color is a known side effect of a number of drugs. Medications including rifampin, doxorubicin, and propofol can cause urine discoloration ranging from red or orange to blue-green. Dark brown or black urine has been associated with drugs such as nitrofurantoin, acetaminophen overdose, and metronidazole.
Nitrofurantoin (Macrobid) is an antibiotic used to treat or prevent a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Transparent: While clear urine isn't exactly a bad thing, it can be a sign that you've been drinking too much water. Getting your daily intake of H2O is a good thing, but not when you're flushing all the electrolytes out of your body. Dark Yellow: This is a normal color, but may mean you need to sip on some water.
The medical term for this is post-micturition dribbling. It's common in older men because the muscles surrounding the urethra — the long tube in the penis that allows urine to pass out of the body — don't squeeze as hard as they once did.
If you have diabetes insipidus, you'll continue to pee large amounts of watery (dilute), light-colored urine when normally you'd only pee a small amount of concentrated, dark yellow urine.
When you're healthy and hydrated, your urine should fall somewhere between colorless and the color of light straw and honey. When you don't consume enough fluids, your urine becomes more concentrated and turns a darker yellow or amber color.