Excessive foaming while urinating is usually normal. This is often caused by the sharp squeezing of urine when the pressure is high, or by the various chemicals used to clean toilet seats.
Apart from these, there are also some health related problems, which can be responsible for foamy urine. It is often seen in the patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney related problems.
When the kidneys are unable to function properly for some reason, they begin to excrete waste products as well as proteins from the body.
Certain types of proteins make more foam when exposed to air and this problem occurs. There is no specific way to prevent this condition, but some lifestyle changes can help prevent developing the disease that causes it.
In most cases, this condition does not need to be treated, as it often gets better on its own. But some internal diseases that cause it need to be treated.
If you are having trouble because of foamy urine, then the doctor or healthcare provider can treat it according to the cause of the condition.
In very rare cases, foaming in urine has serious health implications.
CAUSES OF FOAMY URINE:
The most common cause of foamy urine can be urinating with more force. Because when the sharp edge hits the bottom, more foam starts to form.
This is a common condition and gets better quickly on its own, it is not related to any health problem. So, there is no need to worry about it.
But in some cases, even after passing urine slowly, foam can be formed, which is due to the accumulation of excess protein in the urine.
The presence of protein in the urine is known as proteinuria. Albumin is a type of protein and when its level in the urine increases, it reacts with air and becomes foamy.
The problem of protein in the urine (proteinuria) is related to the kidneys. The function of the kidneys is to filter waste products and remove them from the body.
In some exceptional cases, the kidney also starts excreting protein along with the urine.
Problems related to ejaculation in men can also cause foamy urine. Retrograde ejaculation is a problem in which semen goes back into the bladder during ejaculation instead of coming out. In such a situation, semen mixes with the urine and on urinating, more foam starts to form.
Apart from this, there are certain medicines, which can also cause problems like excessive foaming of urine.
There are medications called phenazopyridine such as AZO Standard, Pyridium, Uristat, which can, in rare cases, cause foamy urine. These drugs are used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Apart from this, there may be some other reasons as well, which are explained below:
- Dehydration — When there is not enough water in the body, the urine becomes more concentrated, which leads to the release of foamy urine.
- Amyloidosis — It is a rare condition. This can lead to foamy urine, fluid buildup and kidney problems in the troubled person. This is due to the formation of a specific type of protein, which can affect many organs.
- Nephrotic syndrome — Many internal organs of the body are affected by this problem, one of which is kidney. Foam can also occur in the urine of the person affected by nephrotic syndrome.
- Diabetes — Many changes are seen in the body due to diabetes. One of these changes is foaming in urine. However, it is not necessary for every diabetic person to have foam in the urine.
Foamy urine is not always a problem related to the body. Sometimes, due to some kind of chemical in the toilet seat, foam can be formed.
Some toilet seat cleaning products contain chemicals that can cause excessive foaming when urinating. In such a situation, if you are feeling foam, then first confirm it well.
SYMPTOMS OF FOAMY URINE:
Symptoms of foamy urine may appear in the form of small bubbles and change in color. At the same time, the problem of foamy urine is associated with nephrotic syndrome.
In such a situation, the symptoms seen in kidney problem can be considered as symptoms of foamy urine:
- Feeling tired
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
- Swelling of arms, legs, abdomen and face
- Molly problem
- Weight loss
- Change in skin color
- Too much thirst
- Insomnia
- Itching and dry skin
- Vomiting
- Trouble breathing.
Foam in urine can often be associated with some other health problems, due to which the following symptoms can also be seen along with foamy urine:
- Loss of appetite
- Tiredness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia
- Discoloration of urine
- Dark urine
- Smelly urine
- Change in the amount of urine (more or less urination).
DIAGNOSIS OF FOAMY URINE:
There are several methods a specialist can use to diagnose foamy urine. Some of these are as follows:
- Physical examination — The doctor may ask about the symptoms seen in the person. He can also check your tongue and eyes.
- Urine test — The doctor will take a urine sample to find out the condition and cause of foamy urine. If there is a high amount of protein in the urine, then it can be detected with the help of the test. If the protein is high, the doctor can also test it by collecting a sample of urine for 24 hours. By doing this, it is found out whether the effect of the protein is happening for a long time. In the lab, the albumin level in the urine sample is compared with the level of creatinine. Albumin is an important protein, while creatinine is a substance removed from the body as waste products by the kidneys. If the albumin level in a person’s urine sample is abnormally higher than creatinine, it could be a sign of kidney disease. This results in the formation of foam in the urine.
- Blood test — The doctor may also do certain types of blood tests to check kidney function, such as blood glucose levels. With the help of all these tests, kidney function can also be checked.
- MRI scan — In some cases, your doctor may also recommend an MRI test, which can be used to examine the structure of the kidney. If there is any kind of injury or lesion in the kidney, then it can be detected with the help of MRI.
- Examination of semen in urine — If retrograde ejaculation is believed behind the foamy urine, then the doctor can test semen in urine.
PREVENTION TIPS FOR FOAMY URINE:
If foaming in urine is due to any health problem, then it can be prevented by treating the underlying cause.
Apart from this, the risk of getting such problems can be avoided by improving your lifestyle and adopting good habits; including:
- Exercise regularly
- Drink plenty of water
- Include fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet
- Do not hold urine for a long time
- Have regular doctor check-ups.
RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS:
Ignoring foamy urine can cause some problem, as it can be a symptom of some physical problem. In such a situation, if there is foam in someone’s urine, then they must consult it with the doctor once. Failure to do so may result in many risks and complications; including:
- Kidney failure
- Heart related diseases
- Chronic kidney disease
- Malnutrition
- Pneumococcal pneumonia
- During this, protein is released from urine, so there may be a lack of protein.
TREATMENTS OF FOAMY URINE:
If the cause of foaming in urine is some internal health related disease, then it can be avoided only by treating this internal problem:
Treatment of proteinuria:
In most cases, treatment for increased protein in the urine is not needed. But if excessive amount of protein is coming out with urine and this condition has been there for a long time, then it may need to be treated. This is because, it can cause kidney damage due to the following drugs are used in the treatment of proteinuria:
- Diuretics
- Calcium channel angiotensin
- Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)
Kidney treatment:
To treat foamy urine, it is necessary to treat the problem related to kidney. For this, drugs that control blood pressure such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers can be used.
Treatment of diabetes and high blood pressure:
If there is foaming of urine due to kidney being affected by diabetes or high blood pressure, special treatment techniques are used to treat it.
If the level of blood sugar or blood pressure is too high, your kidneys can not function properly. When their levels come within a safe range, the kidney starts working properly.
To control diabetes, doctors may advise the patient to consume a special diet and do proper exercise. During this time, the doctor also advises you to do frequent blood sugar tests, so that it can be found out whether the sugar level is coming down or not.
Your doctor may also make some changes in your diet to reduce the increased blood pressure and may also advise you to do proper exercise.
During this time, the doctor may forbid you to eat foods high in salt and instead may be advised to take a protein-rich diet. When the blood pressure level is normal, the kidney starts functioning normally.
In some cases, doctors may also prescribe certain medications, including calcium channel blockers and diuretics to treat high blood pressure.
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker drugs can help reduce elevated blood pressure and prevent kidney damage.
Treatment of retrograde ejaculation in men:
If you do not want children, there is no need to undergo treatment for retrograde ejaculation. However, if you are having problems with foaming in your urine, your doctor can treat it. It is treated according to the internal causes of this condition.
However, if the underlying cause is not known and you do not want to have children, the doctor can close the bladder neck.
By doing this semen will not be able to mix in the urine and more foam will stop forming. The following medicines are commonly used to treat retrograde ejaculation:
- Imipramine
- Brompheniramine
- Phenylephrine
- Chlorpheniramine
- Pseudoephedrine
Treatment of Nephrotic Syndrome:
Nephrotic syndrome treatment is necessary to treat foamy urine. For its treatment, blood pressure medicines, cholesterol-lowering medicines, immune system suppression medicines, water pills (diuretics) and blood thinners can be taken.
DIET IN FOAMY URINE:
When having foamy urine, it is vital to consume a balanced diet. For this, you can consume:
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Cereal
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Low fat milk, yogurt and cottage cheese
- Foods rich in protein such as fish, eggs, chicken and dairy products
At the same time, you should not eat the following foods:
- Avoid alcohol
- Stay away from smoking and tobacco
- Avoid oily food
- Excessive spicy and fried foods should not be consumed.
TAKE AWAY
After reading this article, you must come to know about foamy urine, its causes and symptoms. At the same time, we’ve also share information about diagnosis, prevention and treatments of foamy urine. It is not a disease, but it can be a symptom of some other problems. Therefore, it is best to get it treated in time. We hope that this article prove beneficial to avoid foamy urine. If you liked this article, then do not forget to share it with others.
REFERENCES:
- Foamy urine in nephrotic syndrome; Márcio Dantas, Gyl E. Barros Silva and Miguel Moysés-Neto; Clinical Kidney Journal, Volume 6, Issue 3, June 2013, Page 341, Published: 11 April 2013.
- Diabetes; Medline Plus.
- Foamy Urine; Zeid J. Khitan and Richard J. Glassock; PMCID: PMC6832055. PMID: 31575619
- Retrograde ejaculation; Medline Plus.
- Nephrotic Syndrome in Adults; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.
- Primary amyloidosis; Medline Plus.
- Correlation of Urinary Foam with Proteinuria in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease; Pisharam JK, Daiwajna R, Chong VH and Khalil MAM; Vol. 8 No. 2: 110, ISSN 2172-0479.
- Microalbumin Creatinine Ratio; Medline Plus.
- Chronic kidney disease; Medline Plus.
- Eating Right for Chronic Kidney Disease; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.
- Nephrotic syndrome; Medline Plus.