Have you experienced having orange urine? Urine that has an orange hue has many possible reasons. The orange tint in the urine could be simply caused by food color from drinks or foods recently ingested, or it could be a symptom of a medical condition.
The process of urination is the body’s way of disposing wastes from the blood and excess water from the body. Urine contains toxins and other water soluble materials that can no longer be used by the body. As urine is expelled, the accumulation of these substances that could be harmful to the body is hence avoided.
The appearance of urine is as important as urinating itself. The color of urine can be a good indicator of the health status of an individual. It could provide clues about the substances or materials taken in; whether the body lacks fluids; or if it is suffering from a condition or ailment.
Normally, the tinge of urine is yellow which could be attributed to urochrome, the pigment responsible for giving urine its color. Depending on how concentrated the urine is its color ranges from light yellow to dark amber. The lighter the color is, the more hydrated the body is; whereas a deeper color indicates that the urine is more concentrated.
However, urine can take on a different shade for various reasons. Urine could present itself as pale yellow, dark yellow, brown, red, milky white and even orange. It doesn’t necessarily follow that a different tinge of urine is indicative of a health problem. Some of the colors are brought forth by the food and drinks ingested; others are due to medications; while others, still could point to an underlying health condition.
What are the causes of orange urine?
In some instances, urine could appear orange. Peeing orange urine has several causes. It could be due to medications, food or food coloring, or certain medical conditions. Usually, the reason behind the coloring is absolutely harmless. However, there are cases in which the orange tint calls for a consultation with a doctor.
- Food and food coloring
Certain foods and drinks are naturally deeply colored that the hue seeps into the urine. Foods rich in beta-carotene are known to cause orange tinted pee. Some of the well known foods that could give rise to orange urine are blackberries, carrots, beet, beet soup, and rhubarb. Furthermore, candies, juices, drinks and other food that contain orange dye could result in the individual eliminating orange urine.
Some medications, substances and vitamins may give urine its orange tint. Excessive intake of vitamin C, for one, typically results in orange urine. Other substances include senna laxative, beta-carotene supplements, rifampin, phenolphthalein, vitamin B supplements, phenazopyridine and sulfasalzine.
- Medical conditions
Orange urine may also be a sign of a health condition. There are a number of medical conditions that has orange-hued urine as one of its symptoms. For instance, the lack of fluids in the body will give the urine a deep yellow to orange color. Hepatitis as well as jaundice exhibit orange urine. Bile in the urine renders it a deep orange to brownish shade. Other medical conditions known to cause orange tint in the urine are urinary tract infections, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer and bladder diseases. Any injury or damage sustained by the urinary tract organs like the ureter, bladder and kidneys could also lead to orange-colored urine.
What are the symptoms that accompany orange urine?
If the orange tint is caused by vitamins, medications, food and food coloring, the urine color will disappear when the said substances are no longer ingested. In such case, no other symptoms are experienced. On the other hand, when orange urine is due to underlying medical conditions, other symptoms will also be exhibited. These vary depending on the root cause of the problem.
Some of the symptoms when the problem involves the urinary tract are:
- difficulty in urination
- dysuria (burning sensation during urination)
- frequent urination
- hematuria (blood tinged urine)
- murky urine
- urgency to urinate
- urine with foul odor
Meanwhile, jaundice, weight loss, bruising, bleeding, fever, malaise, tachycardia, poor appetite, itchiness of the skin, hypotension, and nausea may also be displayed if the underlying cause involves other systems of the body.
Seeking immediate medical attention is necessary when the following are present together with orange urine.
- Fever greater than 101°F
- inability to urinate
- intense abdominal pain
- severe pain in the lower back
How is orange urine treated?
Treatment of orange urine is based on the root cause. If the change in color is due to dehydration, increase in the intake of fluids is all that is needed to get the color of the urine back to normal. If the orange hue is traced to food and medications, discontinuing or reducing the intake can help solve the situation. However, if the orange shade is caused by a health problem, this has to be addressed properly so that color change in the urine can be resolved.