Urine

Urine - a liquid product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys by a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. It contains numerous waste compounds, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream. This waste is eventually expelled from the body in a process known as Micturition - the primary method for excreting water-soluble chemicals from the body. The field of study for all urinary tract issues is urology.

Urine Terminology Definitions

Hematuria (Gross Hematuria) - medical term for visible when red in pee is caused by bleeding in the urinary tract.

False Hematuria - Red color in urine appearing to have blood in it, is not blood.

Microscopic Hematuria - blood during urination not discerned by a naked eye unless a microscopic examination is done.

Urine Composition

Urine is a transparent solution that can range from colorless to amber but is usually a pale yellow. It is composed of approximately 95% water with the other 5% comprised of metabolic wastes such as:

• Urea - an organic compound that contains to most nitrogen in urine
• Dissolved salts
• Other organic compounds
• Waste chemicals like urobilin or myoglobin that are not properly or completely removed by the digestive tract
• Ketones - metabolic byproduct in blood and urine that results from insulin production. See more about ketones on the urine ketone tests page

Urine Odor

On its own, urine is nearly odorless. It acquires smell from the different compounds with which it comes into contact while still in the body, and after. Urine can take on a number of smells in different circumstances. One commonly recognized smell is the sickly sweet smell that can be caused by Maple Syrup Urine Disease.

Urine Color Variation

The typical color can range from clear to a dark amber, depending mostly upon many different factors.

• Colorless urine - indicates over-hydration
• Dark yellow, amber urine - often indicative of dehydration, or urinary tract problem
• Yellowing/light orange may be caused by removal of excess B vitamins from the bloodstream.
• Certain medications such as Rifampin and Pyridium can cause orange urine
• Bloody urine (Hematuria) - potentially a sign of a bladder infection
• Dark orange to brown urine can be a symptom of jaundice, Rhabdomyolysis, or Gilbert's syndrome.
• Very dark colored pee of various shades of darkness is referred to as Melanuria and may be caused by a melanoma.
• Completely black urine is called Alkaptonuria. This results from a rare inherited genetic disorder of phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism.
• Fluorescent yellow or greenish urine may be caused by dietary supplemental vitamins, especially the B vitamins.
• Consumption of beets can cause urine to have a pinkish tint, and asparagus consumption can turn urine greenish.
• Reddish or brown urine may be caused by Porphyria
• Cloudy urine - excess chemical substances or a sign of a number of urinary tract diseases
• Brown urine

Holding Urine

A common concern people have is the long term effects of holding urine. There are long term and short term effects from holding urine too long and allowing it to accumulate in your bladder. First of all, it is generally advised to try to empty out your bladder as soon as you feel an urge to urinate. If you do not urinate, the urine accumulates in your bladder, and the bacteria that may be there has a chance to multiply and increase the chances of a urinary tract infection. Women are especially at risk of contracting a UTI and are advised to empty their bladders by peeing whenever they feel a urinary urge.

The longer term effects of holding urine is the consistent stretching of the bladder. The bladder is made to withstand some stretching, but consistently doing so may cause inflammation. Continuous inflammation is known to cause many different problems including damage to nearby organs and even cancer according to latest research on long-term effects of inflammation in correlation with developing cancer.

Some people may hold urine for an entirely different reason. People who are already suffering from a problem within their urinary tract may experience painful urination due to blockeges within the urinary tract. An example of that would be the type of blockage like kidney stones which have painful urination as a common symptom.

Children can hold urine due to poor toilet training or psychological factors like being shy to bring up in public that they have to go the bathroom. Children are also shy of peeing in public bathrooms and may not tell their parents they have to go and hold the urine instead. Teach your kids about the importance of peeing often and listening to their bodies. That will help them have healthier urinary tracts throughout their lives.

Urine Tests

If you suspect a problem within your urinary tract or with another system within your body, a urine test may help you and your doctor come of with the proper diagnosis. The truth is that the possible symptoms people tend to have can be caused by so many different urological and non-urological problems that without proper testing and diagnosis it is extremely difficult to correctly choose the right treatments.

There are a number of urine tests which can show abnormal chemicals in urine. One test you can do at home is the urine dipstick test which can be bought over-the-counter at just about any drug store. The test can show you levels of various chemicals in your urine and show possible abnormalities in levels of

• Specific urine gravity - a measurement of the density of urine compared to pure water. Presence of large amounts of protein and glucose can increase the gravity of urine
• Urine pH
• Blood presence (Hematuria)
• Urine glucose levels
• Protein levels like ketones and albumin
• Bilirubin levels
• Urine Urobilinogen
• Urine nitrite levels
• Urine nitrate levels
• Urine Leukocyte levels

Synthetic Urine

Yes, there is also urine which isn't urine at all. Synthetic urine is a laboratory-produced substance that looks, and has chemical compounds of human urine, but is not human excrement. Researchers often use synthetic urine for tests and experiments as it is a more convenient form of urine for testing than real urine since real urine is much more delicate in nature and must be preserved by by freezing during shipping, and has a really rapid decay rate. Due to the high maintenance necessities of real urine, synthetic urine is cheaper to work with. Additionally, human urine donors can be problematic as well since their pee may not be healthy or suitable for various tests.

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