by Jonte Rhodes

Created on: December 27, 2007

There is a surprising amount that you can tell about someones health by the color of their urine. Indeed in medieval times some doctors would base their entire diagnosis on the basis on the state of someones urine (although these probably weren't wholly accurate).

There are quite a number of medical complaints that can be associated with cloudy, dark or clear urine, some serious and some that are more a precursor of things that may be on the way if you don't soon change your diet, hydration levels or lifestyle.

Firstly with urine that appears to be entirely clear there are only very few complaints or health issues that it can be. It is usually a sign that either your urine is very dilute or that there is a lack of ammonia in it.

This is usually either caused by the absorption of chlorine into the body (usually through swimming pools) which removes the ammonia, in which case its nothing to worry about, or that you have drunk a lot of water and have filtered it all out of your body (the more yellow you're urine is the more ammonia is in it).

This is again usually nothing to worry about unless you have just consumed 5 lites plus of water in a single sitting, in which case you might be beginning to suffer from severe water intoxication from simply having too much in your body which in effect drowns the brain. This is a fairly rare condition however usually encountered by athletes who consume too much water by mistake, or by people taking drugs such as ecstasy that cause them to think they are constantly thirsty.

Cloudy urine is usually either calcified crystals in the urine or the effect of mild dehydration. In the same way that kidney stones are formed i you don't drink enough water then deposits of calcium can build up in the urine, which causes it to become clouded.In these cases you should simply monitor the color over the next few days an try to drink plenty of water.

If there is any pain however or the symptom persists even though you are sufficiently hydrated then a doctor should be consulted to ascertain the possible cause. The reason being of course that cloudy urine can also be a sign of a more serious infection such as a urinary tract infection or a variety of kidney disorders as well.

Dark urine usually denotes the presence of blood in the urine,(giving it its darker color) which can come from a variety of causes. This can be caused by internal bleeding of some description and again kidney infections as well. Boxers after a grueling bout often experience blood in the urine as a result of internal bleeding from the kidneys from the punches they receive.

If it is very dark or a reddish or pink shade then you should always consult a doctor immediately because there are a range of infections that it could be, particularly if there is any abnormal odor that comes with it. Some medications can cause these symptoms as well, however these are generally medications for only major medical problems that you would be talked to about by a doctor and informed of the possible side effects.

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