Diabetes. Medical guidance states that diabetes and other causes of high blood sugar levels may result in higher levels of albumin passing through the kidneys. This can result in foamy urine.
Seeing foam in the toilet bowl on a regular basis may be a warning sign of kidney disease. Your kidneys might be leaking protein into the urine, which causes foamy-looking urine. It's important to let your doctor know how often you're seeing bubbly urine.
Passing foamy urine now and then is normal, for the speed of urination and other factors can influence this. But you should see your doctor if you have persistently foamy urine that becomes more noticeable over time. This can be a sign of protein in your urine (proteinuria), which requires further evaluation.
However, if you notice foam in your urine frequently, you should take it seriously and contact your doctor. Foamy urine can be a warning sign for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and your doctor can help determine the root cause as well as what treatment is needed.
But foam is different from bubbles, she says. “Bubbles are bigger, clear and flushable,” Dr. Ghossein explains, noting that everyone will have bubbles in the toilet after urinating. Foam, on the other hand, is white, and it stays in the toilet after you flush.
Foamy urine can often result from having a fast urine stream. However, a range of medical conditions may also cause foaming urine. Examples include dehydration, kidney disease, diabetes, and more. Urine is typically flat, but it can appear foamy in certain circumstances.
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.
kidney problems, which may be caused by excess amounts of paraprotein produced by the myeloma cells. The symptoms of kidney problems may include frothy urine (wee or pee), passing too much or too little urine, nausea (feeling sick), weight loss or fluid retention (puffiness or swelling in the body)
A very rare cause of foamy urine is a condition called retrograde ejaculation, which occurs in men when semen backs up the bladder instead of being released. Amyloidosis is a rare disorder that can also cause foamy urine, fluid build-up and kidney problems.
Causes of Bubbles in Urine
A full bladder can lead to a forceful urine stream producing bubbles. Residue in a toilet bowl from soaps and cleaning products can also be culprits. Bubbles tend to be big and clear. They disappear when flushed away and are generally no cause for alarm.
Excess Protein Due to Other Reasons
There are several other factors that may allow excess amount of protein to pass through your kidneys' filters and slip into your pee. These include high fever, stress, anxiety, and intense physical exercise. This effect may also arise even when you are exposed to extreme cold.
Bubbles in normal urine stay only for a few minutes. They tend to disappear once the toilet is flushed. If the bubbles are persistent even after flushing it is a sign of an underlying health condition.
Drinking water will not treat the cause of protein in your urine unless you are dehydrated. Drinking water will dilute your urine (water down the amount of protein and everything else in your urine), but will not stop the cause of your kidneys leaking protein.
Stage 1 CKD means you have a normal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 90 or greater, but there is protein in your urine (i.e., your pee). The presence of protein alone means you are in Stage 1 CKD. At stage 1 CKD, you may not notice any effects on your health.
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.
Urine Tests
One of the earliest signs of kidney disease is when protein leaks into your urine (called proteinuria). To check for protein in your urine, a doctor will order a urine test.
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.
While bubbles are clear, foam is more of an opaque shade of white. And foamy urine is often a sign that there is protein in your urine, according to Northwestern Medicine. That could indicate that your kidneys are not functioning properly because they're responsible for filtering and keeping protein in your body.
High levels of protein in your urine over a period of time may be the first sign that kidney disease or another condition has damaged the filters in your kidneys. A protein in urine test can help you find kidney damage early so you can make changes to protect your kidneys.