Choluria is abnormal darkness of the urine due to a high bilirubin content.
"Choluria"
/ref> Choluria is a common symptom of liver diseases, such as hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...
and cirrhosis
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...
. It can be described as dark or brown urine, often referred to as the color of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
. Choluria is usually manifested when serum conjugated bilirubin is high. The presence of choluria is a useful symptom to distinguish if somebody presenting with jaundice
Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...
has liver disease (direct hyperbilirubinaemia) or haemolysis
Hemolysis or haemolysis (), also known by several other names, is the rupturing (lysis) of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the release of their contents (cytoplasm) into surrounding fluid (e.g. blood plasma). Hemolysis may occur in vivo o ...
(indirect hyperbilirubinaemia). In the first case, patients have choluria due to excess conjugated ("direct") bilirubin
Bilirubin (BR) (Latin for "red bile") is a red-orange compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down heme in vertebrates. This catabolism is a necessary process in the body's clearance of waste products that arise from the ...
in blood, which is eliminated by the kidneys. Haemolysis, on the other hand, is characterized by unconjugated ("indirect") bilirubin, which is not water-soluble and is bound to albumin
Albumin is a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All the proteins of the albumin family are water-soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Albumins ...
, and thus not eliminated in urine.
See also
* Acholia
Acholia is pallor of the faeces, which lack their normal brown colour, as a result of impaired bile secretion into the bowel. It can also be referred to as hypocholia. Acholia is a sign pointing to reduced or lacking flow of conjugated bilirubin i ...
References
External links
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Urinary bladder disorders