Diseases & Conditions
When should I be concerned about the color of my urine?
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When should I worry about changes in the color of my urine? What color is considered healthy?Red urine usually raises an alarm. But before you get too worried, pause to consider what you recently ate. Beets, blackberries, and rhubarb can temporarily turn urine pink or red, which may be mistaken for blood. The phenomenon — dubbed "beeturia" — occurs in only about 10% to 14% of the population. But the chance of having beeturia increases dramatically if you have an iron deficiency. Similarly, some drugs, such as phenytoin (Dilantin) and rifampin (Rifadin), can give urine a red color.
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