Cloudy urine has many potential causes.
Many men just cannot get the idea of prostate cancer — which has a lifetime risk of one in six U.S. men—out of their mind, and obsessively check their excrement, sometimes even imagining that it just might be a bit murky.
If their urine seems to be a bit cloudy or foggy, they then fear that this is a sign of prostate cancer.
If you’re compelled to frequently check what your stream looks like as it gets voided or as it enters the toilet bowl, make sure that the lighting is good rather than dim or shadowy.
Also you should confine your checking to just one bathroom so that the lighting, contrast, etc., is always the same.
Make sure that the toilet bowl is perfectly clean, as a dirty one can skewer appearances.
“Prostate cancer very rarely causes cloudy urine,” says Michael Herman, MD, Director of Urologic Oncology at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, NY.
Prostate cancer. Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Wikimedia Commons
Under what conditions can prostate cancer cause urine to appear cloudy?
“If a prostate cancer is very advanced, it can sometimes cause a urinary tract infection (UTI) by obstructing the bladder, but this is extremely uncommon,” says Dr. Herman.
So though it’s not impossible for prostate cancer to lead to cloudy urine, chances are pretty good that if you notice that your urine is cloudy, hazy, murky or looks like there’s sediment in it, this isn’t being caused by prostate cancer.
Dr. Herman also explains, “However, if a patient does notice cloudy or bloody urine, they should be evaluated by a urologist because even benign causes of abnormal urine [such as bladder stones] can be very serious.
“Cloudy urine is very rarely a symptom of prostate cancer.
“It is much more likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection or other benign causes, such as kidney stones.
“Even though this is very unlikely to be caused by prostate cancer, abnormal-appearing urine should always be evaluated, as it could be a sign of other serious health conditions.”
Dr. Herman’s interests include reducing the over-diagnosis and over-treatment of prostate cancer by utilizing the latest biomarkers and imaging techniques. He is at the forefront of treatment and research of urologic cancers.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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