Urine ranging from pink to red in color could signify blood being passed or it may be an indicator of a number of other serious health conditions, such as kidney disease, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, a tumor, as well as kidney, stomach or prostate cancer.
Dark brown or black urine
Dark urine may be an indication of a medical condition: Liver disease: Dark brown urine may be a sign of liver disease. Rhabdomyolysis: Dark brown, dark red, or tea-colored urine may be a sign of rhabdomyolysis, which is a serious condition that occurs from muscle tissue death.
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.
The usual color of urine is straw-yellow. Abnormally-colored urine may be cloudy, dark, or blood-colored.
Health Clues From Color
An orange urine could indicate a serious liver condition. Darker brown can be caused by foods or medication. Cloudy urine can indicate the presence of phosphates which can lead to kidney stones. Urine that's consistently foamy and frothy suggests a possible kidney issue.
If you are drinking an adequate amount of water but you are still experiencing dark colored urine, it may be an early indicator of liver disease. The urine color may range from brown, amber, or even orange due to the buildup of bilirubin.
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.
Foamy or bubbly urine
Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. How? Urine may be foamy or bubbly. This can lead to an above-normal amount of protein in the urine.
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.
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.
Clear to light yellow urine
Congratulations, you're well hydrated! Pale yellow to clear urine means you're giving your body the fluids it needs. “When you're healthy and hydrated, your urine color should actually have very little color to it, from light yellow to clear,” Dr. Wolach said.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Because people tend to sleep for several hours without having a drink, their urine is normally darker when urinating first thing in the morning.
Because the bladder can only hold so much fluid volume, increasing water intake will increase the frequency of urination, and may make people with an overactive bladder more likely to leak. If you have overactive bladder (OAB), more fluid intake typically equals more trips to the bathroom.