You may be having a serious Kidney disease if your urine foams

 An expert doctor has took to his social media handle to share with the public what to expect if one observe a foamy urine. 

The doctor whose user handle is @DrOlufunmilayo made this known on his tweeter handle.

HELLO: If you pee and every time you finish, your urine looks like this picture, you may have a serious medical illness.

 

Foamy urine especially if it is persistent and noticeable over time may mean you have a serious kidney problem.

What are the features of a normal urine?

A normal urine should have a light yellow colour, painless, odourless (or faint smell), steady stream and should ideally not foam when you pee.

When there’s something wrong, then you see changes in all the above normal features of urine.

For instance if urine becomes very deep yellow, it may mean you are dehydrated;

If urine becomes painful or smells really really bad, it may mean you have an infection;

If urine has a poor stream, especially in a man, it may mean a prostate problem like cancer.

Do you get me?

So today let’s talk about Foamy Urine.

What are the things that can cause urine to suddenly be foamy. As I said in the first tweet, it MAY mean a serious medical illness like a serious kidney problem.

First things first, it does NOT always mean a problem but it may as well.

Now what are the causes of Foamy Urine:

SPEED

If you pee really fast or with a lot of force, it may make your urine more foamy than usual. The speed and force makes the urine generate a lot of bubbles which tend to almost quickly disappear as it is formed in the toilet bowl.

DEHYDRATION

If you are dehydrated, that can make your urine very concentrated. This makes it very deep yellow because your body is trying it’s best to conserve water (because you are not drinking enough or losing too much water - maybe due to weather or exercise etc)

Now because your body is doing it’s best to conserve water, it means the waste products coming out in the urine gets more concentrated and this substances can make urine foam.

This is usually the first thing to think of if your urine foam, you may not be drinking enough water.

In the absence of any medical problems like heart failure or kidney failure, you should drink about 3 litres of water every day. That’s about 6-7 sachets of “pure water” or 4 bottles of 750mls table water.

This helps to avoid dehydration and usually once people increase their water intake, they notice they feel a lot more refreshed, less dehydrated, less thirsty, less tired, the urine gets lighter in colour (no longer deep yellow) and it doesn’t foam (or foams less).

And should I shock you further?

Your kidneys function optimally and better also.

PAINKILLERS

The huge misuse of certain painkillers can cause foamy urine especially if excessively used or for a prolonged period of time.

Painkillers especially the ones called Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs NSAIDs can affect the kidneys and make your urine foam. 

 

Common painkillers like ibuprofen, Alabukun, feldene etc that many guys use for “back pain” and ladies use for “menstrual pain” indiscriminately and excessively can cause foamy urine.

It is not wrong to use these painkillers.  It is the excessive indiscriminate use that’s wrong.

KIDNEY PROBLEM

As I said earlier, a foamy urine may mean you have a kidney problem. It may mean your kidneys are no longer working as effectively as they should or there’s kidney failure or there’s a problem called glomerulonephritis (damage to the tiny filters of the kidney).

I would explain.

Urine is one of the ways the body (through the kidneys) eliminates waste products.

The kidneys filter our blood and removes waste products which comes out in urine, and also filters back things like protein and sugar.

So under normal circumstances, the kidneys do not allow excess proteins or sugars into the urine, under normal circumstances.H However when there’s a problem with the kidneys like kidney failure or glomerulonephritis (kidney filter inflammation), the kidneys fail to keep proteins back which escape into urine. It is this excess protein in the urine that makes the urine foam. This is why doctors warn about persistent foamy urine.

However Foamy Urine is not the only sign of kidney failure, there may be other signs like foot swelling, face swelling, weight gain, tiredness, itching etc

DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION 

Just like kidney failure and glomerulonephritis, diabetes and hypertension damages the kidneys and compromises the function. Excess proteins start to escape into the urine. (And in the case of diabetes, even excess sugar - which is why some people  with diabetes noticed that when they pee on the ground, sometimes they notice sugar ants gather there later. I’m NOT saying this is always the case, but this is one of the things patients have stated).

Anyway, the main thing is diabetes and hypertension can make your urine foam.

SOME CHRONIC DISEASES:

Chronic infections – like hepatitis or HIV – can also cause excess protein in your urine which can them make the urine to foam. Some infections directly attack the kidney filters; others cause inflammation which then compromises your kidney’s functioning.

CANCER

There’s a type of cancer called Multiple myeloma – a type of  blood cancer which can lead to extra protein in the urine (and cause it to look foamy). 

Or in autoimmune illnesses (like Lupus) where the body basically attacks its own kidneys and ruins it.

Anyway, the main take away point this morning is that Foamy Urine (especially when it is persistent, continuous and worsening over time) may be a sign of a serious illness.

PLEASE DO NOT OVERLOOK IT.

I beg you. Or if you know someone with a similar experience, please advise them. Especially if you have (or you are from a family with) diabetes, hypertension, kidney problems, prostate problems, cancer or autoimmune illnesses, please do not ignore Foamy Urine.

Speak with a doctor and have blood tests or urine tests done if deemed necessary.

However, as a final note, remember the main points. Drink more. Avoid dehydration. Get regular medical checks of your health like your blood pressure, blood sugar and your kidneys. I would say once every five years at least until you are 75 years old if you are healthy.

And remember, see a doctor if you have worrisome Foamy Urine. Better safe than sorry. Better to be cautious than assume.

I hope this short 😃 thread has helped you understand a bit more about Foamy Urine and what the causes may be.

Thanks for reading.

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