Changes in the color of urine can tell a lot, for example, about a baby's diet, little medications, or various diseases. But what if the baby's urine suddenly becomes discolored and looks like water? Is it dangerous and is it a sign of illness?
What color should be normal?
The color of urine is affected by the content of pigments called urochromes. The color of urine in healthy babies is yellow, while the color intensity can be from a very light yellow hue to very saturated. The more pigments in the child's urine, the more intense the color of the liquid will be. At the same time, in the morning, the baby's urine will be darker, as it is concentrated during a night's sleep.
Possible reasons
The appearance of discolored urine in a child can be caused by:
- Drinking a lot of fluids, as well as foods that have a lot of water (for example, watermelon). The kidneys have to excrete the resulting fluid in greater quantities, which causes the urine to lighten.
- Diabetes insipidus. One of its symptoms is increased thirst, and since water enters the body in excess, it is excreted in more quantities, and there are fewer pigments in the urine.
- Diabetes mellitus. This disease is also characterized by constant thirst, and the kidneys are trying to help in the elimination of glucose, so they work more actively.
- Renal failure. As a result of the disease, the kidney function is impaired, so the fluid that the body needs is not absorbed back in the kidneys, which threatens dehydration.
- The use of diuretics. The urine leaves the bladder faster than it is saturated with pigments.
When to see a doctor?
If the child's urine has become very pale, almost transparent, like water, and the volume of urine excreted has increased, the child must be shown to a specialist.
It should be noted that for the urine of an infant, a pale color is a variant of the norm, because in the first months after birth, the kidney function is just being formed, and the baby receives only mother's milk or a mixture for food.
If the child excreted yellow urine, and then it suddenly brightened, it is worth going with the baby to the pediatrician. The doctor will send the baby for clinical blood and urine tests, and, if necessary, for other studies, as well as examination by a nephrologist or endocrinologist.
