This woman's pee turned purple because of 'extreme' constipation

A 76 -year-old woman has been diagnosed with a rare condition that turned her urine purple. The woman was an in patient at a hospital in Kentucky, USA where she was being treated/ managed for heart and kidney failure and bladder cancer.

Bladder infection complication

In a report published in the journal Oxford Medical Case Reports, doctors from the University of Pikeville wrote that the patient had a long history of debilitating medical issues prompting the attachment of a catheter bag to her person to drain her bladder. They wrote:

Elderly and bedridden patients with multiple comorbidities more often require long-term indwelling catheters which increase their risk of UTIs. Such patients are more likely to be infected by the rarer bacteria which can go on to cause PUBS.’

According to the Daily Mail, an infection in her urinary tract caused blue and red pigments to appear in her urine which when oxidized in the catheter bag, turned dark purple.

A test of the urine revealed an extremely high presence of alkaline, a sign that her kidneys were not functioning properly.

Purple urine bag syndrome

This rare condition, also known as PUBS, was first reported in 1978, an article published on the US National Center for Biotechnology Information states. It is typically reported in women and patients with severe medical conditions who have been using catheters on a long-term basis.

Although often associated with urinary tract infections, constipation, kidney failure and high alkaline levels are other risk factors. The authors of the paper published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information journal wrote:

It is an uncommon occurrence, but prevalence of PUBS has been reported to be as high as 9.8% in institutionalized patients with long-term indwelling urinary catheter use.PUBS have been shown to be associated with the female gender, alkaline urine, constipation, institutionalization and the use of plastic urinary catheter and bag.

It is not considered a malignantcondition. However, it can be a source of distress to patients and their loved ones.

Read more:

⋙ These sex positions are most likely to give you a UTI

⋙ Chronic UTI: The ‘multi drug-resistant’ infection that has been ruining lives

⋙ This is what the colour of your urine reveals about your health

Sources used:

Daily Mail: EXCLUSIVE: Purple PAIN! Kentucky woman's urine turns a VERY strange colour after rare side effect of extreme constipation and UTI

National Center for Biotechnology Information: Purple urine bag syndrome