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Can muscle-building supplements cause blood in the urine?

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Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I am a 20-year-old boy. For four months, I am seeing dark red urine or blood in urine. It started when I took some muscle-building supplements, due to which my serum triglycerides became high. Now, My kidney and other reports are good, except the liver report. In liver reports, my SGPT and SGOT are slightly high.

Kindly advise me.

Answered by Dr. Murugan Sivalingam

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Heavy exercise, in particular without adequate hydration, can lead to dehydration. The urine becomes darker as the kidneys try to conserve fluid in the body to replace the loss of fluid through sweating. It can also lead to damage to the muscles, and the breakdown products of damaged muscle would make the urine appear red.

Excessive protein intake, in particular, the use of protein supplements, may be harmful to the kidneys. Though the urine analysis shows protein in the urine, the quantity of protein as measured by 24-hour collection is relatively small.

The liver enzyme levels (SGOT-serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, SGPT-serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase) are high. This could be due to muscle damage due to heavy exercise, as other liver tests and the Ultrasound is normal.

The Probable causes

The probable cause is excessive exercise, lack of adequate hydration, and protein supplements.

Investigations to be done

No investigation at present.

Probable diagnosis

The probable diagnosis is exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis.

Treatment plan

The treatment plan is to ensure that you take adequate rest between your runs and take adequate hydration. Stop taking muscle-building supplements. Your calcium and vitamin D levels are slightly high. If you take any calcium or vitamin D supplements, they must be stopped. No medicines are required at present.

Preventive measures

Preventive measures include adequate hydration and adequate rest between running. Discontinue muscle-building supplements. Avoid any pain-relieving medicines and alternative treatments.

Regarding follow up

For follow-up, I would advise repeat blood and urine tests after two months. Blood - creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium, albumin, Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK), Liver function tests, Urine - routine analysis, spot protein, and spot creatinine.

Answered byDr. Murugan Sivalingam

Medically reviewed byiCliniq medical review team

Published At October 18, 2022
Reviewed AtDecember 4, 2023

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Murugan Sivalingam
Dr. Murugan Sivalingam

Nephrology

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