Chyluria

Chyluria (also chylous urine) is a medical condition involving the presence of chyle in the urine stream.^[1] Chyluria results in milky white urine. ^[2]

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Causes

• Often caused by filariasis, caused by the parasite Wuchereria bancrofti lodging in the lymph channels, the condition especially affects the people of the Africa and Indian subcontinent. The affected are infected by the parasite and it lodges in the lymph channels draining chyle (digested food absorbed as a milky solution into the blood).
• Chyluria can occur for the first time, or as a relapse, in pregnancy or after childbirth.

Symptoms

Once the channels are blocked, one of the channels may open into the kidney hilum or ureter or sometimes into the bladder and chyle can leak into the urinary tract resulting in passage of milky white urine, which is frightening at the first sight. Sometimes even blood can mix with the urine resulting in haemato-chyluria.

Usually the condition is self limiting and sometimes can lead onto complications. If left untreated chronic chyluria can lead to malnutrition and vitamin deficiency.

Treatment

Diet modifications to reduce the formation of chylomicrons (reduction of fat in food). Anti-fillarial drugs are often prescribed and surgery may be considered if the lymph channel blockage or damage is severe enough.

References

• Campbell's Urology
• Parasitology by das