Urine color

Some renal symptoms and their causes

Haematuria – more then 1000 erythrocytes in 1 ml

Blood in urine may be obvious, associated with a cloudy colour or only apparent on chemical testing (microscopic haematuria). Whether the passage of blood is painful or painless may be diagnostic assistance.

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Haematuria

Painful

kidney stonesurinary tract infectionpapillary necrosis

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Haematuria

Painless

infection

cancer of the urinary tractglomerunephritis

contamination during menstruation

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CAUSES OF RED OR DARK URINE

Haematuria

Haemoglobinuria: red urine, stick test for blood positive, but no red cells on microscopy

Myoglobinuria: in rhabdomyolysis. Very dark or black urine. Stick test for blood positive, but no red cells on microscopy

Food: beetroot (anthocyanins)

Drugs: phenophtalein (pink when alkaline), senna and other anthroquinones (orange), rifampicin (orange), L-dopa (darkness)

Porphyria (urine turns dark on standingAlkaptonuria

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