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October 10th, 2011
08:55 AM ET
Why is my urine red?Every weekday, a CNNHealth expert doctor answers a viewer question. On Mondays, it's pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu. I notice the color of my urine has gone from looking like champagne to looking like cranberry juice in three days. Should I be concerned? I am not on any medications. Expert answer: Thanks for your question. There are many things that can turn a person's urine red, pink or any number of different colors. Having red urine may mean that blood is present, such as from a woman's menstrual cycle. Strenuous exercise may also cause red blood cells to show up in the urine. In addition, red urine may be a sign of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, injuries, liver disease, a blood clotting disorder or multiple other medical conditions. Beets, berries and rhubarb have been known to make a person's urine turn red. Red dyes such as those found in candy or sugary cereals may do the same thing. If this is the cause of the redness, avoiding these foods should end the color in the urine. Certain antibiotics, blood thinners and laxatives may turn urine red or pink, too. Keep in mind that even if you are not taking any medications, supplements or home remedies could possibly be the culprit. Red urine that happens rarely and briefly in a person who is healthy is usually not a cause for concern. If the red color persists, however, or if there are other symptoms, it's important to be seen by your doctor, who may test the urine for signs of blood, infection or other problems. Good luck.
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Red urine that happens rarely and briefly in a person who is healthy is usually not a cause for concern
I'm healthy as a horse and had red urine. And it turned out to be Bladder cancer. Removed my bladder, prostate and colon.
Don't blow it off, see a doctor.
ADULT STEM CELLS CURE'S AIDS / HIV and A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS BUT WHY????? IS AMERICA BEING HELD BACK FROM THE MAJOR LEAP IN MEDICINE DOES AMERICA WANT TOO KILL YOU ??????? OTHER COUNTRIES MAKING MAJOR LEAPS INTO MEDICINE BUT AMERICA IS STILL IN THE STONE AGE WHY????? WHO BENEFITS THE FDA BIG CORPORATIONS .......???
@teresa
go away. I have seen this post on 10 articles
I had the same experience and was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I will have my bladder removed in one week. Red or pink urine should not be ignored.
Myself, it was kidney cancer.
Also wanted to alert to possible Bladder Cancer. Mine was pre-cancerous but it scared the hell out of me. See a UROLOGIST – now !
I've noticed my urine has recently started tasting more bitter, after being slightly sweet for many years. Should I be concerned?
Only about your proclivity for imbibing your own urine, Pat. Other than that, I doubt you need to worry.
Funny.
how many times do people have to tell you that the glass does not have APPLE JUICE in it
Yeah... if you're peeing blood (if it's that color, you're peeing blood) then you either have a really bad infection or you've got cancer. Either way, it's going to suck.
"Red urine that happens rarely and briefly in a person who is healthy is usually not a cause for concern."
As a urologist, I can tell you that this is very concerning. Dr Shu is correct about the above mentioned souces of red urine, however she has failed to mention that the presence of blood in your urine could be a symptom of cancer involving the urinary tract. I would recommend that you see your primary care physician as soon as possible for urinalysis.
30% of those with visible blood in their urine that is not associated with pain are found to have urothelial cancer.
as a patient I think all you doctors are nuts....there IS a reason why your office is called a "PRACTICE"
Red urine ?...Discuss it with your primary care physician...if he/she doesn't refer you to a urologist, get a new primary care physician...
Funny that this was a link on CNN today. Just a couple days ago, I was outside riding my motorcycle and when I got home, I had to pee right away, still a bit cold down there. When I peed, it was a bit painful and it was pink. I was alarmed but I peed throughout the day with normal color. The pink or red urine hasn't happened before that or since. Still alarming, and I'm still check every time I pee.
shouldn't have done what you did last night......then it wouldn't have been red!
When my husband started seeing blood in his urine, it turned out to be kidney cancer. DO NOT WAIT – See your doctor immediately!
What would a brown color be every now & then?
I had brown urine caused by a massive tumor on head of my pancreas that was closing off the bile ducts, later followed by jaundice. Had a stent put in and that was followed by Whipple Surgery, the tumor was cancerous. The sooner the doctors can confirm this the better chance you have for survival before it spreads to other organs.
My brother kicked me in the nuts when i was a kid and I wound up having blood in my urine. A few days in the hospital and I was good as new.
You need to have your Dr do a PNH blood test....especially if the urine shows red in the morning then lightens throughout the day.
If you're the kool-aid man, then yes,, yes its fine. just a little artifical flavor, no biggie
ADULT STEM CELLS CURE'S AIDS / HIV and A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS BUT WHY????? IS AMERICA BEING HELD BACK FROM THE MAJOR LEAP IN MEDICINE DOES AMERICA WANT TOO KILL YOU ??????? OTHER COUNTRIES MAKING MAJOR LEAPS INTO MEDICINE BUT AMERICA IS STILL IN THE STONE AGE WHY????? WHO BENEFITS THE FDA BIG CORPORATIONS .......?
Red urine can also be a symptom of a rare disease called pophyria. Usually there are other symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, etc. This genetic disease can remain dormant and can be triggered by various factors. Only a few labs in the country can properly do the tests for porphyria.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been conducting a little research on this. And he actually bought me dinner because I discovered it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this topic here on your site.
This is a very good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Brief but very precise information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post!
A natural form with laxative foods to restore your health
I want to to thank you for this good read!! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you book-marked to check out new stuff you post…
thanks for sharing ,very interesting.
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this site needs much more attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more, thanks for the info!
http://pee-check.blogspot.com/
I also have plenty of interesting bits of information about urine and what determines your health through the appearance of your pee. If you'd like, you may also take a short quiz to help educate yourself on urine and what you can do to prevent serious injury and disease.
Dr Shu is speaking as a pediatrician. The differential diagnosis of red urine in children is much, much different than from adults. Pediatricians see thousands of kids every year with red urine. Guess how many of them have bladder or kidney cancer? Less than 1%. Bladder cancer is an ADULT DISEASE that almost NEVER occurs in children.
Red urine most likely causes in kids are: 1) kidney stones; 2) hemoglobinuria; 3) myoglobinuria; 4) glomerulonephritis; 5) prescription drug induced. Kidney tumors account for a very small percentage of the remaining cases.
I've seen hundreds of kids with red urine, and only 1 of them had a serious kidney condition. The rest of it was due to the other causes I listed above.
Persistent red urine in an adult is FAR MORE LIKELY to be cancer compared to a child.