Urine is usually clear but may vary from straw colour to darkish yellow or orange. Uncharacteristic colours are due to a variety of naturally occurring pigments from endogenous substances or various exogenous chemicals.
• Cloudy urine may indicate infection and is caused by the presence of particles that settle as sediment when urine is left to stand.
• A milky appearance may indicate contamination with chyle, spermatozoa, or acid or alkaline urine.
• A blue/green colour may indicate Pseudomonas infection or the presence of bilirubin. It can also be caused by methylene blue, a dye used in the manufacture of some medicines such as ‘liver pills’.
• A pink/red colour may indicate the presence of blood, though some drugs or ingestion of certain foods such as beetroot can also produce this colour in the urine.
• An orange colour usually indicates particular drugs including rifampicin and some laxatives. It can also indicate the presence of urobiligen.
• A yellow colour may indicate conjugated bilirubin.
• A brown colour may indicate bilirubin or clients taking L-dopa.
• Brown/black urine may indicate alkaptonuria or the presence of myoglobin if the colour develops after the urine has been standing.
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