Is the foamy urine a sign of kidney deficiency or is it because I did it too hastily?

We know that normal fresh urine is a transparent, amber liquid, and the color can be dark or light depending on the amount of urine. But why does foam appear in urine?

Urination too quickly can also increase foaming

Teng Jie, deputy chief physician of the Department of Nephrology at Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, pointed out that if the following conditions apply, then increased foam in urine is not a pathological condition:

The presence of semen components in the urethra: If a man has semen components in his urethra, it can cause foamy urine. Such as retrograde ejaculation (common in patients with diabetes and autonomic dysfunction); frequent sexual excitement increases the secretion of mucus by the bulbourethral glands, and nocturnal emission, etc.

Urinating too quickly: When urinating too quickly, the urine hits the liquid surface with great force, and the air and urine mix together, easily forming foam, but it is easier to dissipate. In addition, if you stand too high when urinating, the urine will have a greater impact on the liquid surface under the action of gravity, and it will easily form foam.

Urine concentration: When drinking too little water, sweating too much, having diarrhea, etc., the human body will concentrate its urine due to lack of water, resulting in a higher concentration of protein and other components in the urine, which can easily lead to increased foam in the urine.

Other reasons: Disinfectants or detergents in the toilet bowl can also cause urine to foam.

Countermeasures

The occasional foamy urine is mostly physiological, and the causes of foamy urine can usually be found, such as rapid urination, concentrated urine, etc. If the foamy urine disappears after removing the above causes and is not accompanied by other abnormal symptoms or diseases, there is no need to worry too much.

Be vigilant in these situations

On the contrary, if there is a lot of foam in the urine due to the following reasons, you need to be vigilant and seek medical attention in time.

Proteinuria: Abnormally high protein content in urine is one of the most common causes of foamy urine and is also an important clinical manifestation of various diseases, especially kidney disease. Various primary kidney diseases, such as various primary glomerulonephritis, and various secondary kidney damages, such as diabetes, hypertension, gout, hepatitis, etc., can all lead to kidney damage and increased protein in the urine. In cases of multiple myeloma, acute intravascular hemolysis, leukemia, etc., although the renal function is normal, a large amount of abnormal protein appears in the blood and protein leaks into the urine, forming proteinuria.

Foamy urine usually occurs when there is proteinuria. The characteristic of this foamy urine is that there is a layer of fine foam floating on the surface of the urine, which does not disappear for a long time.

Urinary tract infection: Urinary tract infection can cause increased foam in the urine. Common ones include urinary tract infection, cystitis, prostatitis, etc., most of which are accompanied by symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, and pain when urinating.

Increased sugar in urine: Organic substances (glucose) and inorganic substances (various mineral salts) in urine can also increase urine tension and cause foam to appear, but this foam is generally large and disappears quickly. Diabetic patients are prone to foamy urine due to increased blood sugar and secondary increased urine sugar.

Other rare causes: Other causes of foamy urine include bladder-colon fistula, but they are very rare and require special tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Countermeasures

For persistent foamy urine, it is necessary to carefully identify whether it is caused by disease. If after excluding the above non-pathological factors, there is still a lot of foam in the urine, or it is accompanied by other abnormal symptoms or diseases, such as edema, hematuria, frequent urination, urgency, pain when urinating, increased nocturia, hypertension, diabetes, etc., you need to go to the nephrology department for treatment in time.