When you pee in the toilet you give little thought about what you are passing off. But the funny part is that you do notice the color of your urine and in any change in it catches your eye. Have you been lately passing off cloudy urine in the morning? Watch out if you are.
What does Cloudy Urine mean?
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Generally, urine does not have any color. The color of urine varies in average people depending on the concentration of the fluid and other factors like foods, drinks or amount of water consumed. Holding it back for long hours may give urine a dark yellow color. In some cases, an amber color may also be visible. Drinking less water may also result in a dark color in your urine.
Cloudy Urine is the name given to urine that appear milky to the naked eyes. It may or may not be a sign of a serious disease.
Causes of Cloudy Urine
Cloudy Urine causes are many in number as the condition depends on a lot of internal factors and the substances entering the body. These causes of Cloudy Urine include
Proteinuria
Proteinuria is a medical condition caused by diabetes, renal problems or high blood pressure. When this occurs, the kidney releases a large amount of protein along with the urine. The presence of protein turns the urine cloudy.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
An infection in the urinary tract can make urine cloudy in color. This is associated with pain or a burning sensation while urinating. Patients usually pass off cloudy smelly urine in such cases.
Cystitis
Cystitis is an infection that causes an inflammation of the bladder. Like Urinary Tract Infection. it is also accompanied with painful urination. Sometimes, there may be a difficulty in urinating. The urination may also become more frequent in Cystitis sufferers.
Kidney Stones
Picture 1 – Kidney Stone
Source – okdrs
The presence of stones in kidney can also result in cloud-colored urine. Kidney stone is a painful condition and passing stones in urine can be excruciatingly painful. It is best to get medical help as soon as possible if stones are detected in kidney.
Semen in Urine
Sometimes, the presence of semen in the urine can make it appear cloudy. This happens when a little semen remains in the urinary tract after an ejaculation and is expelled during urination. This happens very rarely as semen is not left in the urinary tract very often.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that can also be one of the major cloudy urine causes. Women suffering from Gonorrhea often have a vaginal discharge which can give a cloudy appearance to the urine.
Blood in Urine
Sometimes, blood may appear in urine due to an infection. This may cause cloud-colored urine though there may also be red or brown tinge in the urine passed off. The affected person may notice dark cloudy urine in such cases.
Prostrate Infection
This is a male disease that may also be a cause for cloud color.
Pre-Eclampsia
It is an abnormal condition of pregnancy that involves hypertension, albuminuria and fluid retention in women. Albuminuria can lead to protein expulsion through urine and result in cloudy urine during pregnancy.
Dehydration
This mainly occurs in women. A lot of body water is lost while vomiting during pregnancy. This can lead to a dehydrated condition and cause cloudy urine. It is another cause of cloudy urine in pregnancy.
In some cases, food or drinks like milk, asparagus, beet or orange juice can also have an effect on a person’s urine and give it a cloudy appearance. The intake of substances is not generally seen as a major factor even though it is sometimes felt to be the cause of cloudy urine in children.
Cloudy Urine Symptoms
Often there are several other symptoms Cloudy Urine patients have to experience. These may be :
Abdominal Pain
The person may suffer from a pain in the abdomen that may impair daily activities to a large extent. The sufferer may also have to lie down in acute cases of pain.
Blood in Urine
The presence of blood in urine may be the worst kind of situation for a person. This may be an indicator of a severe infection or some other kind of disease. Medical attention should be immediately sought in such cases.
Pus
In some people, cloudy urine is accompanied with passing of pus. It is the presence of pus that may give a cloudy color to the urine. This may be a sign of a bladder infection.
Cloudy Urine Treatment
If your urine is cloudy, you should ideally visit a doctor. Medications can also be supported with home treatments, though you should not rely only on home remedies for curing the condition.
Treatment of Cloudy Urine (Medical)
If you are passing off white cloudy urine and having problems in urinating for more than a couple of days, it is best to seek help from a good doctor. An expert physician will make a diagnosis of the disorder with observations and physical tests. Treatment usually depends on the disorder causing the condition. In case of an infection, the treatment usually involves antibiotics or diuretic.
Cloudy Urine Remedies (Home or Natural)
Some home treatments can be very useful in supporting medical treatment for cloudy urine. You can try these home treatments after consulting your doctor.
- Boil a few coriander seeds in water. Let the solution cool for a few minutes. Then strain the solution. Drink about two ounces of this liquid, preferably twice a day. It is known to give good results.
- Drink cranberry juice several times during the day. If you find it difficult to drink, you can add in a little apple juice to make it more palatable.
- Mix ½ tsp baking soda to eight ounce of water. Mix this well and drink. It is one of the most effective home remedies for Urinary Tract Infection.
If you are passing off very cloudy urine, it may be a sign of some bodily disorder that needs immediate medical treatment. Get yourself checked by an expert physician and start treatment as soon as you can. Timely medical help can save you from a lot of health problems in future.
References:
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/cloudy_urine.htm
http://www.tandurust.com/diabetes/cloudy-urine-diabetes.html
http://www.diethealthclub.com/blog/home-remedies/causes-of-cloudy-urine-symptoms.html
http://www.urinecolors.com/cloudy_urine.php
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-cloudy-urine.htm
Also worth mentioning retrograde ejaculation, whereby the valve that normally would keep the bladder sealed off during ejucaltion fails to close properley and some seminal fluid enters the bladder. From there it is passed at the next urination.