What does brown urine mean. Causes of brown urine: pathological and natural factors. Natural Causes of Brown Urine

Normal urine is light yellow to straw yellow in color due to various pigments, including urobilin and urochrome. A change in its color can be caused by numerous diseases, and not always associated with pathologies of the urinary system.

But in some cases, this situation is due to completely physiological natural factors. Dark urine in women, the causes of which, as mentioned above, may be different, always requires a doctor's consultation. Urine formation is a complex physiological process that occurs in the functional cells of the kidney - nephrons. With two-stage filtration, all substances necessary for the life of the body are absorbed. At the same time, excess fluid, ions, and certain toxins are eliminated.

During the formation of urine, the kidneys perform the following functions:

adjustment of concentration of ions Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl-, bicarbonates, phosphates, etc.;
restoration of acid-base balance, releasing either hydrogen ions or carbonates;
control of extracellular fluid volume;
regulation of blood pressure;
excretion of end products of metabolism;
removal of residues of certain drugs and poisons.

That is why it is very important to find out the cause of the dark color of urine in women, since in some cases a similar symptom usually manifests itself in the later stages of pathologies, when treatment should be started urgently. Freshly excreted urine should be clear, straw yellow. Certain deviations are allowed.

So, the types of rules are:

short-term changes in the natural physiological shade as a result of nutritional habits, excessive or, conversely, insufficient fluid intake, dehydration;
a course of treatment with certain drugs.

In the morning, during the first emptying of the bladder, very concentrated urine comes out due to the accumulation of salts and pigments. If it then acquires a normal shade, there is nothing to worry about.

A common reason for changing the color of urine is non-compliance with the rules for collecting the analysis. The fact is that urine pigments are oxidized under the influence of light. In other words, if the patient collected the analysis in a transparent container and left it for a long time in a place exposed to direct sunlight, the urine darkens naturally.

The pathological cause of the dark color of urine in women and men in the vast majority of cases is hematuria, that is, the appearance of blood (or rather, red blood cells). Urine at the same time acquires a brown tint of dark beer or meat slops. Hemoglobinuria is much less common. As a result of intravascular hemolysis, free hemoglobin is excreted by the kidneys. In some people, a similar phenomenon can be observed with overwork from intense and prolonged physical exertion, running, and so on.

Sometimes even the shade of urine can suggest the nature of the pathology:

a light brown color, especially if a flaky sediment or turbidity is clearly visible, usually speaks in favor of a urinary tract infection;
a brown tint with an admixture of red often appears when the epithelium of the ureters, urethra, or the kidneys itself is damaged during the passage of a stone or injury;
a dark brown color is noted against the background of an inflammatory or tumor process in the kidneys, if there is an admixture of a green tint, liver pathology is suspected.

It is extremely rare for urine to turn black. Almost always, this symptom indicates a very serious lesion of the urinary system, often it is a tumor or hereditary diseases. However, all these pathologies rarely occur without a pronounced clinical picture. Too light color of urine is also considered a deviation from the norm. This is usually a sign of impaired filtration capacity of the kidneys, which often occurs with diabetic nephropathy.

For medical reasons, a two-glass test is performed to determine the cause of dark urine in women. Its essence is as follows. The patient is asked to urinate in turn into two containers, and it is important that the stream of urine is continuous. If the shade is changed only in the first portion, this usually indicates damage to the urinary tract, more often to the ureters. The brown color in both jars indicates a more serious pathology. If dark or red clots or flakes are found in the urine, the patient is urgently hospitalized.

This symptom sometimes appears with bleeding and rupture of blood vessels surrounding the genitourinary system. Darkening of the urine is a rather bad symptom during pregnancy, unless of course it is associated with eating certain foods. The fact is that when carrying a child, the load on the kidneys increases, which is why regular laboratory tests are so necessary to evaluate their work.

The risk group includes women with chronic or previous pathologies of the urinary system. Timely identification of the cause of dark urine in a pregnant woman plays a very important role. Sometimes serious disorders in the functioning of the kidneys are a direct indication for premature delivery, they can adversely affect the intrauterine development of the fetus. But the early start of treatment, the use of modern antibiotics can correct the situation.

If you change the color of urine during pregnancy, not associated with the peculiarities of the diet, it is urgent to consult a gynecologist and nephrologist.

When contacting a doctor with similar symptoms, they always give a referral to a general clinical analysis of urine. This study is simple to perform, is performed quickly and provides basic information that allows you to make a preliminary diagnosis and decide on the direction of further examination of the patient.

What do the numerous points in the form with the result of the analysis mean:

The amount of urine. As such, there are no norms for this indicator; in this column, the laboratory assistant indicates the volume of urine transferred for research. But if a person has difficulty passing urine in the morning, this indicates either extreme dehydration or severe kidney damage.
Color. As mentioned above, normally it should be yellow.
Transparency. Cloudy urine is sometimes the result of a violation of the rules for passing the analysis. However, it often occurs with concomitant leukocyturia.
Relative density. This is an indicator that determines the concentration function of the kidneys, in other words, their work during the filtration of primary and secondary urine. Density increases with the appearance of sugar, leukocytes and other formed elements. Normally, it is 1.010 - 1.020.
pH reaction. Normally, urine has a slightly acidic reaction with pH values of 4.0-7.0. A change up or down usually occurs with metabolic disorders, which increases the risk of developing urolithiasis.
Protein. Normally, this indicator does not exceed 0.033 g / l, proteinuria always indicates a renal pathology.
Glucose. A healthy person should not have it, but the permissible limits are up to 0.8 mmol / l. Usually, this value is exceeded due to diabetes mellitus or excessive consumption of sweets at night or in the morning before the test.
Ketone bodies, are indicators of the correct course of metabolic processes in the body. Normally, they are absent. A positive result is possible with prolonged fasting, vomiting, intoxication, diabetes, and pancreatic lesions.
Bilirubin. It is one of the main components of bile. It enters the urine only with liver pathologies.
Urobilinogen. It is also synthesized by liver cells. Positive results in the analysis usually indicate bowel disease.
Hemoglobin. Normally, it is located inside the red blood cells and takes part in the transport of oxygen. But with a massive breakdown of red blood cells, it does not have time to be converted in the liver and spleen, which causes it to be excreted through the kidneys. In the urine, it appears with severe poisoning, blood transfusion, trauma, accompanied by rupture of organs and muscle tissue, burns.

Clinical analysis to identify the causes of dark urine in women or other pathologies always includes a microscopic examination of the sediment. For this, the urine is allowed to settle for 1-2 hours, then the settled elements are collected with a pipette. The resulting liquid is placed in a centrifuge, and under a microscope, the already dry sediment is examined and the cells that fall into the field of view are counted (in the form they are abbreviated p / z).

Erythrocytes. It is their presence that gives the urine a brown color. Normally, their number should not exceed 3.
epithelial cells. In women, they often enter the urine from the vagina, so this indicator is not considered as a diagnostic criterion.
Cylinders. Normally, the presence of single hyaline cylinders is allowed, the appearance of waxy, erythrocyte, granular and epithelial ones is a sign of a pathological process in the kidneys.
Salt. Normally they are not. Their presence is the main symptom of uric acid diathesis or urolithiasis. Less often they are detected in inflammatory processes of the urinary system. In laboratories equipped with modern equipment, when salts are detected, their chemical composition is determined.
bacteria. They should not be in the urine. Pathogenic microflora is excreted in urine with an infectious lesion of any part of the urinary tract. Often, microorganisms enter the urine from the vagina with vulvovaginitis.
fungal flora. Fungi are found in urine during fungal infections of the genitourinary system.

Despite the abundance of information on deciphering the general analysis of urine and determining the causes of dark urine in women, a specialist should interpret the results of the study. Self-medication is unacceptable, as it can lead to a deterioration in the condition.

Dark urine in a woman: causes, methods of diagnosis and possible treatment options

Not always the brown shade of urine is a reason for excitement and going to the doctor. The cause of dark urine in women can be completely physiological factors.

This is the wrong drinking regimen. The less fluid enters the body, the richer the color of the urine.

Intense exercise, living in a hot climate and other causes that contribute to dehydration (vomiting, diarrhea, fever). Increased sweating contributes to increased fluid loss, and if it is not compensated by sufficient water intake, the color of the urine becomes dark yellow, especially noticeable in the morning, immediately after waking up. A long course of treatment with antimalarial, anti-tuberculosis drugs, antibiotics from the group of nitrofurans, laxatives, vitamins B and ascorbic acid, rifampicin, metronidazole, phenyl salicylate.

Excessive consumption of certain foods during the day before the test. So, the cause of dark urine in women can be beans and other legumes, beef, beets, carrots, rhubarb, black natural tea and coffee. In addition, many confectionery products (and not only) contain a large amount of dyes that affect the shade of urine.

The cause of dark urine in a woman can be various pathologies of internal organs and systems:

Naturally, the dark color of urine in women, regardless of the cause, is a concern. There is a quite reasonable question what to do in such a situation. If these symptoms are not related to the diet and medication, you should pay attention to other clinical signs. This:

severe febrile fever (body temperature above 38.5 °), rising in the evening;
a strong unpleasant smell of urine;
pain in the lumbar region of a different nature, aggravated by tapping the edge of the palm on the back above the kidneys, sometimes they can give along the ureter to the lower abdomen;
discomfort in the liver, yellow skin and sclera;
weakness and malaise;
violation of urination (frequent urge with the release of urine in small portions, or vice versa, difficulty with urination).

If a change in the color of urine is accompanied by a similar clinical picture, you should immediately consult a doctor. With an increase in fever, it is recommended to call an ambulance.

In the future, the doctor prescribes examinations to make an accurate diagnosis and identify the cause of dark urine in women. First of all, this is a study of urine according to the method of Zimnitsky, Nechiporenko and other samples. Ultrasound is very informative. It determines changes in the parenchyma of the kidneys during the inflammatory process, the presence of stones, deviations in the anatomical structure of the urinary system. Additional diagnostic measures using contrast agents, tomography are possible.

Be sure to do a clinical blood test, a study on liver enzymes and other biochemical parameters. It should be noted right away that it is not the dark color of urine that is being treated, but the cause that caused it. The specific treatment regimen depends on the diagnosis. A bacterial infection of the kidneys and bladder responds to a long course of antibiotics. The treatment of kidney stones is very difficult.

Sometimes drug dissolution of calculi is possible, in the presence of large formations, surgical removal is indicated, and the use of folk remedies is effective to prevent recurrence. Autoimmune glomerulonephritis is treated with hormonal drugs, and in severe cases, cytostatics are indicated.

When dark urine appears in a woman, the reasons for which are varied, this almost always serves as a reason for a comprehensive examination by a nephrologist and gastroenterologist. This is especially important during pregnancy. Attempting self-treatment can aggravate symptoms and cause irreversible consequences. Modern methods of therapy can eliminate all the symptoms of the disease with minimal consequences.

The color of urine directly depends on the amount of fluid you drink - the more water, the lighter the urine. Dark urine in the morning is a variant of the norm, since fresh liquid has not entered the body for a long time. But already at the second urination, the color should be noticeably lighter.

What color urine should be is determined by the presence of certain substances in it in a dissolved state, impurities of blood, pus, mucus and other pathological factors.

Normal urine is yellow, clear, without any impurities. The color saturation of urine ranges from light yellow to yellow, in the laboratory another indicator is used - straw-yellow urine.

If urine becomes dark in color for a long time and is accompanied by other symptoms, this indicates pathological processes in the body that need to be eliminated. We will talk about the reasons for this condition in men and women in this article.

Why dark urine: physiological reasons

It is worth noting that dark urine does not mean the presence of the disease by 100%, there are also natural causes of clouding of the color.

Such reasons include both external and internal factors:

low fluid intake;
taking certain foods that cause cloudy urine;
elevated air temperature;
excessive physical activity;
the use of certain drugs for a long time.

Many people have dark yellow urine in the morning, and this is normal due to its high concentration. The same is observed with the consumption of small amounts of liquid during the day or increased sweating during sports activities or in hot weather. All these changes are associated with an increase in the concentration of urochrome in excreted urine.

Foods that affect the color of urine include legumes, rhubarb, beets, beef, blueberries, carrots, etc. Changes in urine color to the dark side are often observed in people who constantly drink concentrated black tea and coffee.

Pathological causes of dark urine

If you have a changed color of urine - the reasons can be of 2 main groups:

Reasons related to process in the urinary system(kidneys, bladder, urethra) - nephritis, tumors and;
Reasons for changing the color of urine as a result of general metabolic disorders in the body- jaundice, hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), hyperlipidemia.

The causes of dark urine can vary depending on the color:

Dark brown urine- a sign of diseases of the liver and gallbladder, in which the kidneys excrete the bile pigments bilirubin and biliverdin into the urine; an example of such pathologies can be cholestasis in cholelithiasis (with it, an obstacle arises in the way of the outflow of bile).
Dark yellow urine- a sign of diseases of the urinary system (both the bladder and the kidneys), in which the urine contains an increased amount of salts, urates, and similar sediments.

The dark color of urine often appears with liver diseases such as and, as well as kidney problems that prevent excess toxins and fluids from being removed from the body.

In addition to color changes, the presence of additional symptoms should alert:

urge to urinate frequent, painful;
high sweating;
temperature;
pain in the abdomen or in the projection of the kidneys;
nausea, vomiting;
strong smell of urine.

The main thing with the appearance of dark urine is to accurately establish the cause. If the violation of color is accompanied by fever and soreness and frequent urination, then you should be doubly alert: here you can’t do without medical help.

Dark urine in men: causes

In men, the causes of brown urine can be various diseases of the prostate, vas deferens, testicles and other organs, since urine, seminal fluid, and prostate secretion pass through the urethra. The color of urine may acquire a rusty hue with its characteristic stagnation in the prostate gland of blood.

In addition, in men, brown urine can result from trauma to the scrotum or with epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis).

Dark urine in women: causes

Changes in the color of urine in women, as a rule, occurs with inflammatory diseases. Possible causes of the disorder:

fluid deficiency in the body and high levels of urochromes;
the use of products with dyes;
jaundice of viral etiology or hepatitis;
hemolytic anemia and;
urinary tract infections;
period of pregnancy;
kidney disease;
pancreatic and liver cancer;
dietary factors;
various injuries.

To identify the true cause of deviations, the doctor prescribes a general and biochemical study of urine and blood. Based on the results of the analyzes, a plan for the treatment and prevention of the disorder is drawn up.

List of diseases

A change in the color of urine may indicate the course of pathological processes in the body. These include:

liver damage - hepatitis and cirrhosis;
diseases of the gallbladder and bile ducts - cholelithiasis, cholestasis;
tumor processes in the liver, pancreas, kidneys, etc.;
hemolytic anemia;
kidney disease - nephrolithiasis, glomerulonephritis, polycystic;
urinary tract infections;
intoxication with copper salts;
metabolic disorders - porphyria, tyrosinemia, hemochromatosis;
dehydration.

It makes sense to consult a doctor about any changes in the urine, unless it is related to diet and/or medication.

Treatment

It is necessary to identify the causes of the dark shade of urine in order to prescribe adequate and timely treatment of possible diseases, as well as to eliminate adverse factors that negatively affect the state of health.

It is necessary to be alert in cases where other symptoms have joined the change in the color of urine:

fever, chills, headaches, fatigue;
yellowing of the skin, sclera and mucous membranes;
skin itching;
pain in the lumbar region, in the abdomen or right hypochondrium;
nausea, vomiting;
frequent urination, accompanied by pain, cutting or burning.

Depending on the reason why dark urine is observed, treatment is carried out by various means and methods.

A change in the color of urine (urine) is caused by physiological pathological causes, which is a reflection of the processes taking place inside the body. The norm stipulates that urine should be a clear yellow liquid with a light tone. Some deviations from the norm are possible, since each organism has its own individual metabolic characteristics. The darker color of urine is associated with an elevated content of urochrome substance in it. However, brown urine is observed only under the influence of physiological and pathogenic factors.

First of all, the use of chemicals and drugs based on aloe, when eating legumes and rhubarb. Most diuretic medicines include sena and kaskura herbs, which also have an effect on staining urine in a dark color. In addition to prolonged urination, some antibiotics and antimalarials also change the tone and color of urine. All of these factors are physiological reasons why urine is dark brown in color. However, its darkening is also formed on the basis of pathological processes occurring in the body, mainly diseases of the liver and kidneys.

The darkening of urine is based on a lack of fluid, any change in its tone is evidence of a violation in the body of normal metabolic processes. Most of the processes that are associated for the body with excessive fluid loss or dehydration cause the urine to darken.

However, don't take your body's signals lightly. In order to understand it correctly, you need to know the main reasons for the darkening of urine and carefully listen to the state of your body.

The most common reasons

Physiological causes are not dangerous to health. These include:

increased content of urochrome in urine, which is caused by a prolonged lack of fluid in the body;
climate and temperature changes, as well as prolonged physical activity, accompanied by significant sweating;
taking certain medications and chemicals (naphthol, salol, laxative, phenol, cresol and lysol);
eating foods containing artificial and natural dyes (beef, strong tea, legumes);
the use of activated charcoal and infusions (decoctions) of bearberry leaves.

To eliminate the reasons for changing the color of urine, it is enough to stop the influence of the factor that caused the darkening, that is, change the diet, control the habits and mode of fluid intake, avoid hypothermia and sudden changes in temperature.

Sometimes in the morning when going to the toilet, the urine is darker than usual. This is normal and is associated with the peculiarities of the functioning of the kidneys at night. The first portion always has a more saturated color.

In most cases, the causes of dark brown urine are hidden precisely in the physiological influence of various factors, the pathological ones include:

progression in the body of hemolytic, mechanical and parenchymal hepatitis;
prostate pathology;
inflammatory processes occurring in the organs of the kidneys and liver;
pathology of the structure of the organs of the genitourinary system;
acute intestinal infections and diseases.

With hepatitis, bile enzymes are not properly excreted from the body, and with acute intestinal infections, there is a large loss of fluid, with pathologies of the liver and kidneys, the urine becomes dark due to the content of blood cells and purulent secretions in it. If the urine is red-brown in color, then this indicates the presence of blood masses in the urine.

In any case, the brown color of urine is not the norm, and if a darkening of the urine is detected and there are no physiological factors that could cause a change in its color, you should immediately contact a specialist. If you ignore the symptom, then the possible disease will turn into a chronic form.

Often, pathological processes are accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, painful manifestations, burning and cutting in the genitourinary organs, false urge to urinate, chills and fever.

A characteristic sign of leakage and the bladder is an unpleasant pungent odor.

Video: What does urine color mean?

Brown urine in men

In most cases associated with the course of diseases, brown urine in a man is observed in pathological processes caused by:

prostatitis;
disease of the testicles and inflammation of their appendages;
inflammation of the urinary and vas deferens;
traumatic consequences of damage to the scrotum, kidneys and liver;
the course of various forms and types of hepatitis;
poisoning (overabundance of absorption) with elements and chemical compounds of copper;
the formation of tumors on the tissues of the urinary organs;
infectious and viral lesions of the urinary tract;
urolithiasis;
gallbladder diseases
cirrhosis of the liver;
anemia of internal organs.

If brown discharge is present in the urine, then in most cases they are formed by purulent masses and blood, which is a consequence of severe inflammatory processes in the body. Left without adequate medical attention, such diseases can significantly affect the state of health and threaten the normal conditions of existence and life support. The change in the tone of urine should be treated in such a way as to first allow the assumption that brown urine in men is a sign of illness, and not a temporary disorder of health.

Brown urine in women

Also, as in men, brown urine in women is observed under the physiological influence of various factors, as well as in pathological conditions, which include:

toxic poisoning;
venereal diseases;
tumors, including those developing on the tissues of the reproductive organs and organs of the genitourinary system;
uterine fibroids;
inflammation of the appendages and urinary tract (urethra);
traumatic consequences of injuries to the abdomen, liver and kidneys;
the course of various hepatitis;
infectious and viral lesions of the urinary tract;
hemolytic anemia;
vasculitis;
kidney and liver diseases;
metabolic pathologies;
urolithiasis disease;
gallbladder disease.

Observation of darkening of urine is an important symptom of a serious disorder in the body, which cannot be ignored and adequate application of therapeutic measures. The uncontrolled development of certain diseases can lead to the loss of childbearing functions and the most unfortunate outcome. You should immediately seek medical help and strictly follow all the doctor's instructions.

Diagnosis of diseases

It is possible to give the correct answer to the question why urine is brown only after a complex of examinations and consultations. There are many pathological causes of darkening of urine, not all of them are recognized by their manifestation of external symptoms. Do not neglect the measures of personal hygiene, ignore the recommendations for the use of mechanical contraceptives.

Self-medication is unacceptable. Only the results of laboratory, instrumental and hardware studies provide a basis for analyzing and understanding why brown urine or urine shows brown discharge.

For the diagnosis of diseases used:

ultrasound examination of the body;
computed and magnetic resonance imaging;
laboratory general and biochemical blood tests;
various urine tests;
laboratory studies of smears and discharge samples;
antibiotic susceptibility testing;
instrumental examination of the urethra;
laboratory studies of virus pathologies.

Modern medicine has a wide range of opportunities for the correct diagnosis of diseases and the choice of adequate, but effective tactics to combat it.

Therapeutic influence

Depending on the characteristics of the disease that caused the urine to darken, the specialist selects the methods and tactics of therapeutic procedures aimed at curing the pathological process.

For the treatment of infectious lesions, local remedies and folk methods of washing with herbs are widely used. For the treatment of oncological diseases, various medical centers and clinics are provided, which have a choice of special means and methods of therapy.

When carrying out therapeutic procedures of a urological orientation, use:

various diuretics;
drugs that affect the chemical composition of urine and blood;
antibiotics and antifungal agents, as well as drugs to combat pathogenic microflora;
antiviral agents;
drugs that block the activity of certain receptors.

There are no universal remedies and magic pills, including for infectious lesions of the urethra. Only a specialist, based on the results of examinations, can give an opinion on the development of a particular disease, as well as recommend ways to cure it.

Video: Urine color from cystitis to cancer

Do you pay attention to the color of your urine when you go to the toilet? Hardly. Basically, we consider it when we bring a jar of tests to the clinic. Usually it is yellow-straw in color, but brown urine immediately makes us worry. “This must be some kind of serious illness,” we think, and we may well be right. According to medical observations, changes in the shade of urine often indicate both liver failure and sexually transmitted diseases and even oncology.

However, you should not be scared ahead of time, because urine can become dark and for less harmless reasons. For example, they ate something wrong or took certain medicines, and urine, like litmus paper, changed color.
In this article, we will take a closer look at what causes urine to change color in adults and children, and you decide how serious it is in your situation and whether it is time to visit a doctor.

Morning "concentrate"

Have you noticed that morning urine is always much darker than usual? This is due to its high content of urochrome, a yellow pigment that accumulates overnight. During the day, when we drink a lot of liquid, it dilutes and the urine becomes lighter in color.
Darkening can also be observed in the hot season, when we sweat a lot, as well as after visiting the gym or during poisoning due to dehydration.

Food matters

What we eat is also important. If you have brown urine, remember if you ate the following foods the day before:

beef;
legumes (peas, soybeans);
blackberry;
strong black tea;
rhubarb;
Coca Cola.

Darkening of urine from the use of such food and drinks is eliminated the very next day.

By the way! Due to the products, urine can be stained in other colors. For example, its orange shade is provoked by persimmons, carrots, and oranges eaten in large quantities.

Tablets that color

Often urine changes color appears on the background of taking medications:

metronidazole;
laxatives (based on senna and cascara);
drugs including phenol, lysol, cresol;
activated carbon;
rifampicin, Furadonin;
bearberry decoctions;
remedies for malaria and various infections.

If the urine is stained due to medication, this does not mean that these medications are not suitable for you and should be discontinued! At the end of the course of treatment, the urine will again acquire the usual yellow color.

Signs of pathologies

We have listed safe causes of urine staining, and now we will consider cases when this indicator will speak of pathology. It is one thing when dark urine appeared only once, and quite another when it has been for several days, and besides, it smells somehow strange.

Brown color can be caused by the following diseases:

1) Severe kidney disease (glomerulonephritis, nephritis), urolithiasis, acute cystitis. As with dehydration, with these pathologies, the urine darkens due to the high concentration of urochrome. In addition, blood impurities from the bladder, ureters, and kidneys can make it brown or even dirty brown.

Perhaps the addition of purulent secretions, which give a putrid odor.
A change in the color of urine may be preceded by lower back pain, frequent urination with pain, swelling of the face and hypertension. With polycystic and malignant processes, urine resembles meat slop in color.

2) Liver failure, diseases of the biliary tract. Why does urine darken in this case? The main culprit here is bilirubin, the bile pigment that turns everything bright yellow. It's what makes the urine dark. In a healthy person, bilirubin is absorbed by liver cells and excreted through the intestines.

3) With certain pathologies (tumor, cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis), bilirubin begins to exit through the kidneys, which causes a yellowish skin color and brown urine. In this case, the patient experiences itching, pulling pain in the hypochondrium, and the stool takes on a clayey consistency.

Sometimes a large stone or a cancerous tumor can tightly clog the bile ducts. In this case, a person, in addition to yellow skin and whites of the eyes, will notice pain in the abdomen and right side. This is biliary colic, a very dangerous condition that requires immediate medical attention. If you shake a jar of urine from such a patient, the liquid will foam strongly.

4) Hemolytic jaundice (hemoglobinuria). Oxyhemoglobin, formed during the massive breakdown of red blood cells or their hemolysis, changes the color of urine to brown, and sometimes to dark red and even black! Massive hemolysis can be caused by:

poisoning with mushrooms, medicines; intoxication due to severe injuries and burns; poison from snake or insect bites;
hypothermia;
blood transfusion (especially those that do not match the group and Rh factor);
infective endocarditis, lupus, malaria.

The color of the feces also changes to a darker one, and the skin and sclera become lemon-yellow, fever, vomiting, and itching appear.

5) Disturbed metabolism, hemochromatosis (increased secretion of iron);
6) Significant loss of fluid, dehydration in case of poisoning, burns.

Women's "sores"

In the weaker sex, among the physiological (normal) causes listed at the beginning of the article, early pregnancy can be distinguished. In the first trimester, expectant mothers often experience toxicosis and vomiting against its background, which leads to a concentration of urochrome in the urine and a change in its shade.

As soon as the condition returns to normal, the urine will again become a “healthy” yellow color. If it gets worse, a clear smell of acetone is felt from the urine, and the pregnancy has already reached the 3rd trimester, gestational pyelonephritis may be to blame. This disease is dangerous not only for the expectant mother, but also for the fetus and requires urgent medical advice.

In non-pregnant women, unhealthy coloration can be caused by:

venereal diseases;
oncology of the body or cervix;
fibroids, which sometimes bleed and secrete red blood cells into the urinary tract.

Strong sex and weak prostate

In men, the reasons usually lie:

in traumatic injuries of the scrotum (pain in the testicles, difficulty urinating);
in prostatitis, in which stagnation occurs in the prostate gland. Red blood cells enter the urine, which leads to a change in color;
in inflammation of the prostate or testicles;
in malignant formations of the reproductive system;
in urinary tract infections.

If nausea, abdominal pain, hyperthermia, an unpleasant smell of urine have been added to the darkening, you should hurry with a visit to the doctor. In older men, brown color indicates stones in the kidneys and bladder, which injure the mucous membrane and cause bleeding. The reason may lie in diseases of a venereal nature or exorbitant physical exertion.

Children's pathologies

The urine of the child is also very sensitive to any changes in the body. Newborn jaundice, in which urine sometimes darkens, is physiological in nature and is observed in many babies. It usually goes away within a week after birth. Urine in a child can also be stained due to the Rhesus conflict between mother and fetus.

The dark color of urine in children, as in adults, appears both due to foods eaten the day before (blueberries, beets, carrots), and due to pathological processes. With vomiting, diarrhea, pain, fever and other dangerous symptoms that accompany the appearance of brown urine, you should immediately show the baby to the pediatrician. Often in early childhood, doctors diagnose glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis.

Indications for urgent medical attention

How to understand that it is time for you or your loved ones to worry and undergo additional examinations as soon as possible? Brown urine, appearing for several days in a row, will often have impurities, bloody or purulent, mucous, giving a rotten smell. In addition, the following signs of inflammation will appear:

fever (from subfebrile to feverish marks of 39 - 40 degrees);
pulling pain in the lower back (may be on one or both sides);
frequent urination, cramps and pain in the perineum and urethra;
headache, pressure surges, sleep disturbances, weakness;
yellowing of the skin and eye sclera (with liver disease).

Treatment

Do not prepare for the worst before visiting a doctor. Even if you are diagnosed with a disease, you will start treatment on time and save yourself from the dangerous development of pathology. Or maybe you just need to revise your diet and properly maintain the water-salt balance.

Usually the cause is physiological, and it is enough for the patient to try not to overheat and replenish fluid losses in time so that the brown urine becomes straw yellow again.

If liver failure is detected, the doctor will prescribe hepatoprotectors (Karsil, Essentiale and others). If significant intoxication is detected, in the hospital you will be given droppers with glucose or sodium chloride to purify the blood. Well, enzymes useful for digestion will allow the liver to work again in normal mode (Mezim, Creon).

Kidney infections will require antibiotics as well as diuretics. Diuretics relieve renal hypertension (pressure) and remove edema. For the stronger sex, doctors prescribe prostate massage, which has a beneficial effect in case of congestion.

The doctor will determine the exact cause, based on the results of the necessary tests and examinations (blood, urine, biochemistry, ultrasound, computed tomography). Usually, after proper treatment and following the doctor's recommendations, the problem with a dark shade of urine disappears after the cause.

Urine is the most important indicator of human health. According to its color, experts judge the state of health in general and individual organs in particular. It happens that urine becomes brown or tea-colored, which does not always indicate pathology.

Brown urine - what does it mean?

A slight change in the shade of urine is not considered dangerous, because in the morning the urine is often dark due to the high content of urochrome. And if a person drinks a lot of liquid, then his urine acquires a bright yellow tint. But there are situations when a change in the shade of urine indicates serious health problems.

The causes of dark urine can be different - from the foods you eat to the medications you take. But the picture is much more dangerous for those who observe such changes in connection with renal pathologies. Out of their own ignorance, they write them off for harmless reasons.

Causes

There are many factors that can cause a change in the color of urine. Starting from products and ending with a serious pathology of the kidneys.

In general, the reason for changing the color of urine to dark brown can be:

Fluid deficiency - because of it, the concentration of urochrome in the body increases;
Taking medications - Salol, Neftol, some laxatives change the shade of urine;
Hyper sweating caused by climate change or exercise;
Consumption of low-quality products containing dyes;
Jaundice - the process of excretion of enzymes, which stain the urine, is disrupted;
Prostatic pathologies;
Renal-hepatic pathologies of an inflammatory nature - such changes often occur due to impurities of blood or pus caused by the disease;
Urogenital pathologies;
Women's diseases.

Products

The explanation why the urine has become dark brown may be the use of certain products, which contain pigment substances. Brown urine can become after eating rhubarb or beef, legumes like peas, soybeans or beans, etc. In addition, the color of urine and drinks with dyes, such as Coca-Cola or strong tea, etc., darken the color. Urine can acquire an orange hue if the diet will contain a large amount of persimmons, carrots or oranges.

If the urine has become dark due to the use of these products, this is not considered a dangerous symptom and is eliminated by changing the diet.

Medications

Urochrome, which gives urine color saturation, is water-soluble, so when drinking a lot of liquid, the urine becomes very light, and in the morning, due to the high concentration of urochrome, it is too dark. If a person is taking certain medications, their urine may also turn dark.

Usually such means have a similar effect:

Antimicrobials like Metronidazole, Furadonin, Rifampicin, etc.;
Aloe-based preparations
Quinine medicines such as Chloroquine or Primaquine, Delagil, etc.;
Carbolic acid preparations - Creosote, Naphthol, Salol or Phenol;
Laxative preparations containing cascara or senna extract;
Vitamin preparations like ascorbic acid or B-group vitamins.

Such manifestations do not mean at all that this or that medication is not suitable for the patient, therefore, they do not need to be replaced.

Drugs that color urine brown

Diseases

It is much more dangerous if a change in the color of urine occurs due to various pathologies:

Severe kidney lesions such as urolithiasis, when stones injure tissues, causing blood to appear in the urine. If there are tumor processes or polycystosis, then the urine becomes brown, resembling meat slops;
Kidney disease, in which large amounts of various pigments, such as bilirubin, are released into the urine. A similar phenomenon is observed in jaundice;
Pathologies of an inflammatory nature such as urethritis or cystitis, glomerulonephritis or pyelonephritis can also lead to a change in the color of urine;
A high concentration of bilirubin is observed in hemolytic anemia;
In addition, a change in urine is observed with cirrhosis, hemochromatosis, vasculitis and collagenoses, tyrosinemia and autoimmune pathologies, as well as with oncopathologies in the liver and pancreas.

In children

Darkening of the urine under certain circumstances can also be observed in children. Like the adult population, in a child, the color of urine is affected by the food and drinks consumed. If the baby ate beets, carrots, rhubarb or blueberries, then the coloring pigments from these products will definitely color the urine dark brown or orange.

Affects the shade of urine and dehydration, medication, intestinal infections and dyspeptic disorders, uncontrolled vomiting or diarrhea. If changes in urine are accompanied by hyperthermia and pain, then they are referred to as pathological signs indicating the development of a disease, for example, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, etc.

Among women

In the weaker sex, brown urine can be observed during pregnancy, when the patient is worried about severe toxicosis, in which there is severe dehydration caused by vomiting.

In addition, female urine acquires dark shades due to various kinds of gynecological pathologies in the water:

cervical tumors;
Diseases of venereal origin;
Nonspecific inflammation of the female genital area.

If the drinking regimen and diet are changed, and the urine still remains dark, then it is necessary to undergo an examination.

In men

The male half of humanity can undergo changes in the shades of urine for various reasons. Dehydration or pathology, food or drinks - all this can affect male urine. If such a symptom is provoked by a disease, then signs appear that make it easier to identify the underlying pathology. Usually in men, dark urine is accompanied by nausea, hyperthermia, soreness in the abdomen, painful or foul-smelling urination.

The cause of such a symptom complex can be pathologies like:

Prostatitis. With a similar disease, stagnation in the gland is observed, which causes the release of red blood cells into the urine. This is what causes its darkening;
Inflammation of the vas deferens, testicles or prostate;
Traumatic injuries of the testicles, appendages, etc.

In the male half, a change in the shades of urine can be both pathological and physiological in nature. With the pathological nature of such a symptom, additional signs are also observed, such as hyperthermia and nausea, painful and unpleasant-smelling urination, abdominal pain, etc. In this case, an urgent consultation with a specialist is necessary.

In the elderly

In an older person, brown urine may be due to a prostatic adenoma, stones in the bladder or kidneys, excessive physical exertion, or genitourinary infections.

Dangerous combinations

In some cases, when a change in the shade of urine is combined with some symptoms, it is urgent to consult a specialist.

If dark brown urine is accompanied by intense back pain or painful urination, swelling and fever, this often indicates kidney pathology;
If the darkening of the urine is accompanied by diarrhea or vomiting, then this further aggravates the situation by dehydrating the body. A similar picture is often observed in acute intestinal pathologies;
Another dangerous combination that requires the immediate intervention of a specialist is dark urine in combination with difficulty urinating, painful sensations in the testicles, especially if the testicles have recently been injured.

The specificity of the appearance of colored urine in different groups of patients may differ, therefore, the treatment is also selected differently.

Reason to see a doctor

Any changes in the urine require attention from the patient. If they are provoked by fluid loss or certain foods, then with a change in diet and sufficient drinking regimen, the color of the urine will be restored. If the changes are observed within a few days and do not go away for a long time, and even worse, are supplemented by painful sensations in the abdomen or lower back, then you should immediately seek the help of a urologist or nephrologist.

The doctor will carry out appropriate diagnostic measures, prescribe the necessary tests and studies, such as biochemical and general analysis, urine, blood samples, etc. Most often, pathological causes are associated with renal pathologies and diseases of the female / male reproductive system, therefore, treatment is aimed at eliminating these factors. If the urine has changed due to tumor processes, then the prognosis for treatment depends on the degree of malignancy of the formation and the timeliness of contacting a doctor.