The following are the causes of foamy urine:
-
The most common cause of foamy urine is the speed of urine flow. It will be just as water foaming up from the tap quickly, and so the urine foams up when it hits the toilet quickly.
-
Sometimes, urine also foams up when it becomes concentrated. The urine is more concentrated when you do not drink much water when dehydrated.
-
Foamy urine also indicates too much protein, such as albumin, in the urine. The protein in the urine will react with the air to create foam.
-
Usually, kidneys filter excess water and waste products from the blood into the urine. Protein and other essential substances of the body are too big to fit the kidney’s filters, so they are left in the bloodstream. When the kidneys get damaged, they cannot filter as they do, and so the damaged kidneys allow too much protein to leak into the urine. This is called proteinuria, which is a sign of chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease.
-
Foamy urine can also occur due to retrograde ejaculation. It is a condition in which semen moves back into the bladder instead of being ejaculated from the penis.
-
Amyloidosis also causes foamy urine, fluid buildup, and problems in the kidneys. It is a rare condition caused by the buildup of a specific protein that can affect many organs.
-
Taking Phenazopyridine, an allopathic medicine, is another common cause of foamy urine. This medication is used to treat the pain from urinary tract infections (UTI).
-
Sometimes, the problem is just the toilet cleaning chemicals that can make the urine look foamy. When this is the cause, the foam will stop as soon as the chemicals are flushed out of the toilet.
What Is the Process Behind the Formation of Foam?
Foam forms by trapping gas in liquid with surfactants, which have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. They gather at air-water interfaces, forming bubbles. Soap’s cleansing action arises from its amphiphilic nature, while beer foam, or “beer head,” depends on barley-derived Lipid Transport Protein 1.
Compounds Present in Urine Contribute to the Formation of Foam
In addition to proteins, certain amino acids like methionine and tyrosine, exhibiting amphiphilic properties, can contribute to foam formation in urine. Conditions such as Fanconi syndrome and proximal tubular dysfunction disorders may lead to excessive amino acid excretion.
Some serious causes
Diabetes
Foamy urine – small bubbles in urine are a common occurrence among those with diabetes and may be the result of excessive amounts of protein (albuminuria).
When blood sugar levels increase, the tissues of the kidneys sometime become scarred and damaged, and leak protein into the urine. The urine may appear foamy at this situation. This is called diabetic kidney disease.
Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that causes a buildup of protein in the urine (bubbles as a result). Other symptoms are high blood pressure; swelling in the hands, face, and feet; pitting edema; vision problems; and shortness of breath.
The symptoms can be hard to differentiate from the normal effects of pregnancy, but if a woman has not experienced them earlier in the pregnancy or if they occur in combination, it’s important to get evaluated.
Proteinuria
Excess protein in the urine can come from an inflammation of the glomerulus. It may also be the sign of
a kidney disorder, a side effect of a drug, rheumatoid arthritis etc.
The protein is measured in grams per deciliter. A healthy urine can contain some protein (less than 150 grams per deciliter). More than 150gram/deciliter indicates proteinuria.
Massive proteinuria (excreting more than 3.58 grams within 24 hours) may lead to chronic kidney disease.
Vesicocolic Fistula
A fistula is an abnormal/unwanted connection between two normal organs. In the case of a Vescio colic
fistula, the connection is between urinary tract and the colon.
As water passes through the colon, it can end up becoming retained at the base of the bladder due to the fistula. This builds extra pressure on the bladder and results in more forceful urination, similar to the force caused by holding in pee. Consequently, the bubbles from a Vescio colic fistula will be foamy in nature.
These fistulas are rare but can be a sign of a more serious underlying condition.
Hypercalcemia
Calcium blood levels that extend beyond normal limits lead to hypercalcemia.
This condition often causes extreme thirst, dehydration, and frequent urination. The result may be foamy urine or air bubbles in the urine.
While the higher levels of calcium do not directly cause the change in urinary output, the symptoms can.
Less-Serious Causes
It is absolutely normal that urine usually comes out with a few bubbles in it purely as a result of air bubbles being formed after it hits the other surface. Urine is no different from other liquids in this case and those bubbles should pop shortly after forming.
Dehydration
When a person gets dehydrated, his/her urine becomes more concentrated, and this buildup of various chemicals and substances can lead to extra air bubbles in the urine. Dehydration also makes the urine darker for the same reasons and can result in a deeper yellow or brownish color (depends on dehydration stage/category).
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, body undergoes a series of obvious and subtle changes. One of the less-noticeable effects is that the kidneys can swell, including their various filters and passages.
One of these, the glomerulus, helps filter the blood and makes sure things that are supposed to stay in the bloodstream don’t get urinated away.
An enlarged glomerulus makes it easier for protein to pass through, which leads to excess protein in the urine that’s why protein creates bubbles in the urine during pregnancy.
Menstruation
Stress
Anxiety and stress cause physical changes in the body, including an alteration in urine. Clinical studies
show that extreme stress over time may stimulate the overproduction of albumin in the urine.
A 2014 study of caregivers of patients with severe mental illness found a significant positive correlation between urinary albumin-creatinine ratio and caregiver burden, current anxiety level, and depression score.
Semen in Urine
Bubbles or Foamy Urine can be seen in males after sexual intercourse, that’s because of small amounts of semen left in the urethra following ejaculation.
This is common with an improperly functioning bladder sphincter, which allows the sperm to enter the bladder.
Denser Urine
Highly concentrated, or dense, urine may indicate a kidney condition or problem, it may be a sign of dehydration as well and in results there may present bubbles in the urine, foamy urine, or with a dark amber hue.
A urine specific gravity test will compare patient’s urine to the density of water, which helps determine how well the kidneys are diluting urine.
Symptoms
In addition to bubbles and foam in the urine, a patient may notice other symptoms that will indicate which medical condition, if any, is causing the change in the urine output.
Signs to watch for include:
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Extreme fatigue.
- Swelling in hands and feet.
- Abdominal bloating.
- Foul-smelling urine.
- Dark-colored urine.
- Loss of appetite.
- Insomnia.
- Low semen volume after ejaculation.
- Lower back pain.
- Lethargy.
- Bloody urine.
Diagnosis
The causes of foamy urine are diagnosed by:
-
A urine sample is taken to test protein levels in the urine.
-
A urine test taken over 24 hours compares albumin levels to creatinine levels (substances produced when muscles break down). This is known as the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). This ratio will help to identify whether the kidneys are filtering the blood. When the UACR is higher than 30 milligrams per gram, it could be kidney disease.
-
When retrograde ejaculation is a suspected cause for foamy urine, check for sperms in the urine.
Allopathic treatment for Foamy Urine
Treatment for foamy urine will depend on its root cause for example:
1. Treatment for Dehydration:
When the urine is concentrated, drink more water to relieve dehydration and to stop the foaming.
2. Treatment for Diabetes and High Blood Pressure:
When foamy urine occurs due to kidney damage, treat the underlying cause, that is, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Diabetes – High blood sugar damages the kidneys, so:
-
Advise for a balanced diet and plan for a regular exercise schedule to help treat diabetes.
-
Test the blood sugar levels often to make sure it is within a healthy range.
-
Take medicines that lower blood sugar levels.
High Blood Pressure
-
Advise the diet and to stay active for high blood pressure.
-
Limit the salt and protein in the diet as it brings the blood pressure down and prevents the kidneys from working so hard.
-
Prescribe anti-hypertensive medications like calcium channel blockers, diuretics.
-
Also, anti-hypertensive drugs like angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers protect the kidneys from additional damage.
Treatment for Retrograde Ejaculation:
This condition does not require treatment unless one want to be a father, or the dry orgasms bother them. The drugs used to treat retrograde ejaculation closes the bladder neck so that semen cannot get inside the bladder. Those drugs are:
- Brompheniramine.
- Ephedrine.
- Pseudoephedrine.
- Imipramine.
- Phenylephrine.
- Chlorpheniramine.
Homeopathic treatment for Foamy urine
UTI:
In the case of a UTI, drinking lots of water and taking allopathic or Homeopathic medicine (preferably Homeopathic), are important for flushing out the bacteria that have set up in urinary tract.
Vesicocolic fistula:
In allopathy there is not any treatment for a Vescio colic fistula, the best way is to treat with Homeopathic treatment. Homeopathic treatment duration for Vescio colic fistula is about one-three months, depends on size and weight of fistula.
Preeclampsia:
Preeclampsia is more complicated since the only cure is giving birth, but it might be too early in the pregnancy for the fetus to survive. If this is the case, then it will be necessary to visit the only Homeopathic doctor, and more regularly to more carefully monitor symptoms until the pregnancy advances enough. Why only Homeopathic? because allopathic drugs have too many sides effects especially for fetus; and can affect baby’s health especially nervous system.
Diabetes:
In allopathic way of treatment this condition may be difficult to prevent, but in Homeopathy it is an easily manageable disease/situation. To treat diabetes, Click Here.
High blood pressure is directly linked to diabetes and can be managed, and possibly cured, with similar Homeopathic treatments.
Proteinuria:
Excess protein in the urine may be a sign of progressive kidney disease. Treatment focuses on maintaining kidney function through medication, dietary changes, controlling blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and following a healthy lifestyle. For proteinuria treatment pleases Click Here.
Hypercalcemia:
Too much calcium in the blood requires treatment depending on the underlying cause including hyperthyroidism. It may include flushing out calcium by drinking excess water, taking medications prefer Homeopathic, and possibly reducing intake of calcium and/or vitamin D supplements.
Conclusion:
Foamy urine is not a problem as it happens once in a while, but it should be given immediate care especially Homeopathic, when it is noticed continuously over time. So, if one experience foamy urine, do not worry and seek a doctor’s help to identify any underlying cause.
P. S: This article is only for doctors having good knowledge about Homeopathy and allopathy, for learning purpose(s).
For proper consultation and treatment, please visit our clinic.
None of above-mentioned medicine(s) is/are the full/complete treatment, but just hints for treatment; every patient has his/her own constitutional medicine.
To order medicine by courier, please send your details at WhatsApp– +923119884588
Gastroenterologist, Specialist Homeopathic Medicines.
Senior research officer at Dnepropetrovsk state medical academy Ukraine.
Location: Al-Haytham clinic, Umer Farooq Chowk Risalpur Sadder (0923631023, 03119884588), K.P.K, Pakistan.
Find more about Dr Sayed Qaisar Ahmed at:
https://www.youtube.com/Dr Qaisar Ahmed