Cloudy urine (urinary turbidity) is relatively common. It does not necessarily have to be a disease behind it. In most cases, cloudiness is caused by sediment in the urine due to nutrition. The cloudy urine may have a strong or neutral odor. The urine may also be altered in color. If persistent urinary cloudiness is accompanied by other symptoms, you should see a doctor.
What is cloudy urine?
First, the doctor clarifies the cause of a urinary cloudiness. The frequency of a cloudy urine also gives clues. In the case of nutritionally cloudy urine, no therapeutic measure is necessary. Urine that is not a clear yellow color is called cloudy urine. Instead of being transparent, it appears milky and less translucent than usual. Undissolved salts and sediments are responsible for this. The color of urine may also be altered in cases of urinary turbidity. However, the color of the urine represents a separate evaluation criterion for cloudy urine. The degree of turbidity, odor, and color of the urine can provide clues to possible sites of disease.
Causes
There are many causes of urinary turbidity. In most cases, feeding behavior is responsible for cloudy urine. In this case, cloudy urine is almost always harmless. Urinary turbidity can also occur due to various diseases. Bladder infections, urinary tract infections or kidney stones should be mentioned. Cloudy urine can also indicate an inflamed prostate. Antibacterial prostatitis can be triggered by disturbances in bladder emptying. Residual urine in the prostate gland causes inflammation and urinary turbidity due to metabolic products. In addition, urine becomes cloudy during kidney inflammation. Pus residues and blood particles can indicate other diseases in the case of urinary turbidity. Urinary turbidity also occurs with tuberculosis disease. Usually, the excreted urine is clear. Most of the excreted particles in the urine have dissolved. The dissolved components are invisible to the human eye. However, if clear urine is allowed to cool for a longer period of time, sediments precipitate. Excess and undissolved salts become visible as urine turbidity. It can also be removed bacteria, fungi, pus and mucus particles. Rarely, lipids are the cause of urinary turbidity. Cloudiness due to undissolved urinary salts can be clearly distinguished from cloudiness due to pus particles in the laboratory.
Diseases with this symptom
- Kidney inflammation
- Prostatitis
- Tuberculosis
- Kidney stones
- Cystitis
- Urinary tract infection
Diagnosis and course
Only in the case of disease with other symptoms should go to the doctor. The diagnosis of urinary turbidity can be made during a routine urine sample. Both the visual specimen and the test strip will indicate urine turbidity. However, it does not have to result in a finding of disease. First, it should be clarified what has caused the urine turbidity. For this purpose, a urinalysis is performed. It examines color, odor and sediment formation. The further course depends on the diagnosis of the disease. Urine cloudiness caused by nutrition disappears again. If necessary, dietary changes are advisable. Cloudy urine caused by the disease is only an accompanying symptom. The underlying disease is always treated. Further urine tests are necessary to determine the cause. In the laboratory, the urine is heated. It can be mixed with acetic acid, hydrochloric acid or caustic soda. Test strips, microscopic analyses and the establishment of bacterial cultures provide information. If the turbid urine shows blood particles or pus residues, the patient must be examined more closely. The course of the disease varies depending on the diagnosis. Treatment of the underlying disease also affects urinary turbidity.
Complications
Cloudy urine is usually a harmless and transient phenomenon. This is especially true when a yellowish urinary opacity is present. However, cloudy urine can also occur as a symptom of serious diseases. Thus, a red to reddish-brown urinary turbidity is often a warning sign. Together with yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes and conjunctiva of the eyes, this type of urinary turbidity occurs in jaundice in the context of severe liver disease or biliary disease. Urine can also sometimes show red turbidity in severe urinary tract infections when there is bleeding in the ureter or bladder.Black skin cancer, melanoma, can also cause red to reddish-brown urinary opacity. Some serious metabolic or liver diseases are associated with hemolysis. This involves the breakdown of red blood pigment resulting in a red coloration of the urine. However, red urine can also occur in advance of kidney stones, gout or gout-like joint inflammation. Even if there is a milky, white cloudiness to the urine, there may be serious underlying conditions. For example, when lymphatic drainage is blocked in lymphatic tumors, threadworm infestation, or lymphatic duct adhesions, fatty lymph from the digestive tract enters the urine and causes milky cloudiness. Furthermore, milky urinary turbidity may also be indicative of severe kidney disease or bacterial urinary tract disease.
When should you see a doctor?
Cloudy urine can have harmless causes: For example, consumption of certain foods such as citrus fruits and insufficient fluid intake can cause discoloration. This phenomenon can also occur during pregnancy due to a change in diet. Initially, cloudy urine is not a cause for concern. However, if it does not become clearer after sufficient fluid intake and repeated urination, a urinary tract infection or bladder infection could be present. If the infection is not far advanced, teas or over-the-counter medications from the pharmacy can be used to relieve symptoms. This should occur within three days. If the cloudiness is accompanied by other symptoms such as burning in the urethra, a pungent smell of urine or pain when urinating, a doctor should be consulted. These may be signs of a bacterial infection of the bladder or other diseases such as kidney stones, prostatitis or diabetes. A visit to the doctor in this case will quickly lead to a clear diagnosis and adequate treatment. Patients should also consult a doctor in the event of fever, cramps and blood in the urine in order to avoid a complicated course of the disease. Self-medication is not advisable for these symptoms. The general practitioner can quickly determine an uncomplicated infection on the basis of a urine sample. In the case of prolonged or recurrent symptoms, a visit to the urologist is advisable.
Treatment and therapy
First, he clarifies the doctor the cause of a urinary cloudiness. The frequency of a urinary cloudiness also gives clues. No therapeutic measure is necessary for nutritionally cloudy urine. If anything, a change in diet would be advised. If the cloudy urine is disease-related, treat the underlying disease. If the urinary tract infection is severe, antibiotics often must be used. Blood in the urine may be an indication of this. Mild urinary tract infections can be relieved by drinking bladder tea. Urinary cloudiness usually disappears after a few days in uncomplicated UTIs. If the kidneys are the cause of the cloudy urine, the course is more complicated. In addition, antispasmodic preparations and painkillers can be administered. Hot water bottles relieve accompanying pain. As therapy progresses, the cloudy urine also disappears.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognosis of urinary turbidity depends on the particular cause of the symptom. If the cloudy urine is caused by insufficient fluid intake, increased drinking can return the urine to a normal appearance within a short time. Cloudy urine may occur as part of a urinary tract infection. This can be treated by increased fluid intake or the administration of an antibiotic. After the infection has healed, the urine becomes clear again. Cloudy urine can also be an accompanying symptom of kidney stones. The symptom recedes after successful treatment or spontaneous passing of the stones. In men, an inflammation of the prostate can be the cause of cloudy urine. With adequate fluid intake and treatment of the inflammation, the color of the urine becomes clear again. Cloudy urine is rarely a sign of serious disease. However, the symptom can be found in the context of cancer. Urinary turbidity can be an accompanying symptom of bladder or prostate cancer. In this case, the cloudiness is mainly caused by blood particles in the urine. For the prognosis, the treatment of the underlying disease is paramount. Depending on the type and stage of the condition, urine may become clear again as it progresses.
Prevention
There are a number of things that can be done to prevent urinary opacity.However, it is not possible to completely prevent urinary turbidity. Complex processes are responsible for this. Above all, a healthy diet is important for frequently occurring urinary cloudiness. In addition, one should drink plenty of clear water or mineral water every day. A sufficient amount of fluid dissolves excretory salts and sediments better. To prevent urinary cloudiness, it is important to go to the toilet more often. If urine accumulates in the bladder for a long time, sediments and salts accumulate there. Cloudy urine is then the result. The development of kidney stones in conjunction with cloudy urine is sometimes due to insufficient fluid intake. Older people in particular often need to drink more. But young people also do not take in enough drinking water. They prefer to drink sweetened cola drinks instead.
What you can do yourself
Cloudy urine is usually a symptom of cystitis. This symptom is accompanied by a burning sensation and sometimes pain when urinating. In this case, a doctor should be consulted. However, before it comes to medical treatment, for example, due to a delay that prevents the person from going directly to a doctor, the person can take his own measures. It is important to drink a lot, water or tea are the best. There are also special bladder teas that can provide relief in case of cystitis. In addition, the affected person should take it easy. The turbidity of the urine can be alleviated by such measures, but there is not always a complete cure of cystitis. If the symptoms persist, a doctor should be consulted. In most cases, however, urinary turbidity is a sign that the person is not taking enough fluids. This condition is called dehydration, and describes a person’s lack of fluids. In this case, fluid intake must be increased. Again, the best way to do this is to drink water rather than coffee, which has a diuretic effect. The fluid that is taken in is released too quickly. It should be noted that an adult should consume about two liters of fluid daily.
