Urine Color – Symptoms and Causes

What Affects Urine Color

When a person is healthy, urine usually ranges from clear to pale yellow in color. However, several factors can change this color.

Some foods like beets, blackberries, and fava beans might turn urine pink or red. Certain medications can also create bright colors, such as orange or greenish-blue tints.

Changes in color can often indicate underlying health issues. Milky white urine might indicate a urinary tract infection. Blood in urine, appearing red, could result from kidney stones, certain cancers, or other medical conditions.

These color variations can be temporary and harmless, or might require medical attention, depending on the cause.

Signs of Unusual Urine Color

Urine normally varies in color based on hydration levels. When you drink plenty of fluids, your urine appears clearer. With less fluid intake, the yellow color becomes more concentrated.

However, urine can sometimes display unusual colors that might indicate health issues, including:

• Red
• Blue
• Green
• Orange
• Dark brown
• Cloudy white

When to Visit a Healthcare Provider

You should seek medical attention if you notice blood in your urine. This symptom commonly occurs with urinary tract infections and kidney stones, which typically cause pain.

If you experience bleeding without pain, this could signal a more serious condition such as cancer.

Dark or orange urine requires medical evaluation, especially when accompanied by pale stools and yellowing of the skin and eyes. These combined symptoms might indicate liver problems that need prompt attention.

What Causes Changes in Urine Color

When Urine Appears Red or Pink

Red or pink urine can be alarming, but doesn’t always mean something serious is wrong. Several things can possibly cause this change:

• Blood in urine: This might result from:

  • Enlarged prostate
  • Noncancerous tumors
  • Kidney stones or cysts
  • Some types of cancer
  • Intense exercise (like marathon running)

• Certain foods: Eating beets, blackberries, or rhubarb can temporarily turn urine reddish or pink.

• Medications: Some medicines change urine color, including:

  • Rifampin (for tuberculosis)
  • Phenazopyridine (for urinary tract pain)
  • Senna-containing laxatives

When Urine Appears Orange

Orange urine often results from:

• Medications:
  • Phenazopyridine
  • Some constipation medicines
  • Sulfasalazine (an anti-inflammatory drug)
  • Certain chemotherapy drugs
• Vitamins: Supplements like vitamins A and B-12 can give urine an orange or yellow-orange tint.
• Health issues: Orange urine might signal:
  • Liver or bile duct problems (especially if stools are pale)
  • Dehydration (not drinking enough water)

When Urine Appears Blue or Green

This unusual color can be caused by:

• Dyes and colorings:
  • Bright food colorings
  • Medical dyes used during kidney and bladder tests
• Medications:
  • Amitriptyline (depression treatment)
  • Cimetidine (for acid reflux and ulcers)
  • Triamterene (water pill)
  • Indomethacin (for pain and arthritis)
  • Propofol (used before surgery)
• Health conditions:
  • Familial benign hypercalcemia (a rare genetic condition in children)
  • Certain bacterial urinary tract infections

When Urine Appears Dark Brown

Brown or cola-colored urine may result from:

• Foods:
  • Large amounts of fava beans
  • Rhubarb
  • Aloe
• Medications that can darken urine include:

Type of Medicine	Examples
Malaria treatments	Chloroquine, primaquine
Antibiotics	Metronidazole, nitrofurantoin
Laxatives	Senna-containing products
Muscle relaxants	Methocarbamol
Seizure medicines	Phenytoin
Cholesterol medicines	Various statins

• Health problems:
  • Liver disorders
  • Kidney disorders
  • Some urinary tract infections
  • Internal bleeding
  • Porphyria (affects skin or nerves)
• Extreme physical activity that damages muscles can cause tea- or cola-colored urine and potentially harm the kidneys.

When Urine Appears Cloudy or Murky

Cloudy, murky-looking urine typically indicates:

• Urinary tract infections
• Kidney stones

If you see an unusual urine color lasting more than a day with no clear cause, it’s best to contact your healthcare provider.

Risk Factors for Changes in Urine Color

Several factors can increase your risk of developing health problems that affect urine color. Understanding these risk factors can help you recognize when changes might indicate a serious condition.

Age-Related Risks

As people get older, they face higher chances of certain conditions that alter urine color. People over 50, especially men, may experience blood in their urine due to an enlarged prostate.

Bladder and kidney tumors also become more common with age, potentially causing red or pink urine.

Family Health History

Your family’s medical background plays an important role in your risk level. A family history of kidney disease or kidney stones increases your risk of developing these conditions.

Exercise Intensity

Hard physical activity sometimes leads to changes in urine color. This is particularly true for:

• Distance runners
• Endurance athletes
• Anyone who exercises very intensely

This condition, sometimes called “exercise-induced hematuria,” usually goes away on its own after rest.

Other Health Conditions

Several medical conditions can affect urine color:

Condition	Potential Urine Color Change
Kidney stones	Red, pink, or brown
Urinary tract infections	Cloudy, dark, or red-tinged
Liver problems	Dark yellow or brownish
Certain rare genetic disorders	Blue or green

Medications and Treatments

Some medicines can change urine color even when taken correctly. Antibiotics, laxatives, and certain pain relievers may cause temporary changes that disappear when you stop taking the medication.

Hydration Status

Not drinking enough water can make your urine more concentrated and darker in color. This is one of the most common and easily fixed causes of urine color changes.

Dietary Factors

What you eat and drink can temporarily change your urine color:

• Beets and berries might cause reddish urine
• Carrots can create orange tints
• B vitamins can sometimes produce brightly yellow urine
• Food dyes in candies and snacks may cause various color changes

These dietary causes aren’t harmful and will resolve once the foods pass through your system.

Underlying Infections

Urinary tract infections can change urine color and cause symptoms like burning during urination and a frequent need to urinate.

If you notice unusual urine color lasting more than a day or two, especially with pain or fever, see a healthcare provider.