Why is This Man's Urine Green? Doctors Explore the Reason of this Rare Case Study

The normal color of urine ranges from pale yellow to deep amber. A pigment called urochrome determines how diluted or concentrated the urine is which gives its color, according to MayoClinic.

But sometimes its color can change into something rather unique. It could be either due to the food that the person eats, or the medications they are taking, or worse, due to some sickness.

A rare case of a 62-year-old man was recently reported by LiveScience who has released green urine. Doctors said that it is alarming to see this unique urine color of a murky shade of green but noted that it is harmless as it was just a side-effect of his medication.

Rare Green Urine

The rare case of the green urine happened to a 62-year-old man who was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a progressive lung disease. The report from The New England Journal of Medicine on December 2 stated that the man went into the emergency after feeling difficulties breathing for two days.

Based on his lab results, doctors found that he had high levels of carbon dioxide in his blood which could be life-threatening. While on the intensive care unit, he was placed on a ventilator and was given propofol which is a general anesthetic.

However, five days after he was admitted, his urine started turning green in the catheter bag that was collecting it. The authors of the report said that the reason for the green urine could be due to many factors, such as a side effect of his medication, or infections, and liver problems.

But they said that propofol is the main culprit of the of why the urine of the man turned green. They noted that this medication used in general anesthesia rarely causes a person's urine to turn green.

According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research, the discoloration of urine by propofol may have occurred when certain metabolites of the medicine are eliminated through the kidneys instead of the liver. These metabolites then cause the green coloration of the urine.

Though alarming, his condition was benign and harmless that goes away after the medication is stopped. ScienceAlert reported that the green coloration of the man's urine indeed returned to normal once he was taken off propofol. The man stayed for two weeks before being released to rehabilitation.

Causes of Urine Discoloration

According to MayoClinic, discoloration of urine could be caused by certain food or food dyes, medications, or health problems. For red or pink urine, it could be due to urinary tract infections, enlarged prostate, cancerous, and non-cancerous tumors, long-distance running, or kidney and bladder stones.

Red urine can also be due to eating bets, blackberries, and rhubarb. Also, medications like Rifampin, an antibiotic for tuberculosis can turn the urine to reddish-orange, as well as phenazopyridine (Pyridium) which is a medication that numbs the urinary tract discomfort.

Other colors of urine also include orange, blue or green, dark brown or cola-colored, and cloudy or murky urine. Kidney stones may cause the cloudy or murky color of the urine. But for cola-colored, orange, and blue urine some medical conditions might be the culprit so it is advisable to immediately seek professional help.