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. Urine consists of excess water and waste products that the kidneys filter from the blood.
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.
Some liver and kidney disorders and some urinary tract infections can turn urine dark brown. So can bleeding inside the body called a hemorrhage. A group of illnesses that mainly affect the skin or the nervous system, called porphyria, also can cause brown urine. Extreme exercise.
Make sure to see a doctor if your urine contains blood or is dark. Blood in the urine warrants further investigation as it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection, kidney stones or urinary tract cancer. Dark or orange urine may signal a liver problem.
Darker urine can be a sign that your kidneys or liver isn't working properly from issues such as inflammation, cirrhosis, or kidney stones. Problems that affect other parts of the urinary tract—such as the ureters (tubes), bladder, urethra, and prostate—can also cause dark brown urine.
Cola- or tea-colored urine could indicate inflammation of the kidneys (glomerulonephritis). Orange hued urine can also indicate a problem with the liver or bile duct. Greenish or cloudy urine may be symptomatic of a urinary tract infection.
Cloudy or milky urine is a sign of a urinary tract infection, which may also cause a bad smell. Milky urine may also be caused by bacteria, crystals, fat, white or red blood cells, or mucus in the urine.
Because people tend to sleep for several hours without having a drink, their urine is normally darker when urinating first thing in the morning. Darker urine during the day or evening may be one of the signs that someone is dehydrated meaning they are not drinking enough fluids.
The most optimal color for your urine is a pale yellow. If it is a darker yellow or orange, it can mean you are becoming dehydrated. An orange urine could indicate a serious liver condition. Darker brown can be caused by foods or medication.
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.
Smelly urine is usually caused by bacteria and fungi that live in the urinary tract. Therefore, smelly and yellow urine is highly likely related to urinary tract infection.
The average bladder can hold between 10 and 15 ounces when at maximum capacity. If you're drinking enough water for your body and peeing around six to seven times in 24 hours (or around every 2.5 hours), all is likely well, according to Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.
Check if it's a urinary tract infection (UTI)
pee that looks cloudy, dark or has a strong smell. needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual. needing to pee more often than usual. blood in your pee.
Cloudy, dark, bloody, or strange-smelling pee. Feeling tired or shaky. Fever or chills (a sign that the infection may have reached your kidneys) Pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen.
Normal urine should be pale yellow but a light amber colour is also acceptable. If your urine is dark amber, it may suggest that you're dehydrated and it should be rectified by drinking more water.
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.
Urine is usually dark because of the bilirubin excreted through the kidneys. High levels of bilirubin may be attributed to inflammation, or other abnormalities of the liver cells, or blockage of the bile ducts.
Gallstones: Gallstones are usually formed from cholesterol in the gallbladder. Along with dark urine, you may also experience abdominal pain, fever, itchy skin, and jaundice. Bile duct obstruction: The bile ducts that carry bile into the intestines to aid in digestion.
See your health care provider if you have: Abnormal urine color that cannot be explained and does not go away. Blood in your urine, even once. Clear, dark-brown urine.
Blood Tests. Because your kidneys remove waste, toxins, and extra fluid from the blood, a doctor will also use a blood test to check your kidney function. The blood tests will show how well your kidneys are doing their job and how quickly the waste is being removed.