Foam in urine, does it mean kidney damage? Not necessarily, don't panic blindly

A reader left a message to Huazi, worrying about the foam in his urine. He has high blood pressure and read an article saying that high blood pressure can damage the kidneys and foamy urine will appear in the middle stage. So he observed his urine when he urinated, and found that there were a lot of foams, which scared him a lot. He went to the hospital to check his kidney function, but no problem was found, so he asked Huazi what he should do?

1. Hypertension can damage the kidneys Huazi told him that the article he read was correct. The kidneys are one of the important organs damaged by hypertension. When the blood pressure in the renal arterioles rises, it will cause inflammation of the renal artery wall, causing renal artery sclerosis, and then stenosis and reduced blood flow, resulting in a series of pathological changes such as glomerular sclerosis, tubular atrophy, basement membrane thickening, and interstitial fibrosis. Renal function continues to decline, and renal failure occurs.

The initial manifestation of decreased renal function is the weakening of the renal tubular reabsorption function, which manifests as increased nocturia. As the disease progresses, the damage to the glomeruli and tubules worsens, causing plasma protein to be filtered into the urine, forming proteinuria, which manifests as more fine and small bubbles in the urine during urination.

2. Foam in urine does not necessarily mean kidney problems. Proteinuria causes foam in urine because protein is a surfactant that increases the surface tension of urine and easily forms foam. However, increased foam in urine does not necessarily mean proteinuria. Increased surface tension of urine caused by other reasons can also cause increased foam in urine.

For example, if a woman's urine is mixed with blood during menstruation, or if a man's urine is mixed with semen or prostatic fluid, foamy urine will occur, and a false positive urine protein test will occur during hospital examinations. Men usually urinate while standing, and if the position is too high, the impact of urine will easily produce foam, but the foam produced by this impact will quickly break and disappear.

If there is an infection in the urinary system, the urine will contain pus and a lot of foam. The urine of diabetic patients contains glucose and foam will appear. Drinking too little water or getting up early in the morning will make the urine concentrated and foam will appear. During strenuous exercise, a small amount of proteinuria may be produced, which will also cause foam.

In other words, there are many reasons for the appearance of foam in urine, and it does not necessarily mean that there is a problem with the kidneys. There is no need to worry when you see foam in the urine.

3. Kidney function test If you find foam in your urine, don't blindly guess the cause and increase unnecessary worry. The reliable method is to go to the hospital for kidney function, urine routine, and urine microprotein tests. If there is a problem with the kidneys, the indicators of these tests will be abnormal. If there is no abnormality, it means there is no problem, just believe in science.

To maintain the kidneys, you should drink more water, at least 2000ml of water a day. If you exercise or sweat in hot weather, you should drink more to ensure sufficient urine output, which has the effect of "cleaning" the urinary system. People with hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia must control their blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids to prevent renal artery sclerosis and avoid damage to the kidneys.

In summary, kidney damage can lead to proteinuria, which causes foam in urine. However, there are many other reasons for foamy urine besides proteinuria. So if you find that your urine is foamy, don't blindly guess the cause and increase panic. Going to the hospital for a checkup is the correct way to deal with it. I am pharmacist Huazi. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.