Question

A patient who reported a very painful sore throat 3 weeks ago is now diagnosed with acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. When asked, "Why is my urine the color of coffee?", the nurse responds

a. "Normally, red blood cells that enter the urine are taken back into the blood, but in glomerulonephritis, the kidney disease you have, they stay in the urine and make it coffee-colored."
b. "Your immune system was activated by your sore throat and has caused some damage in your kidneys that allows red blood cells to leak into the fluid that becomes urine and make it coffee-colored."
c. "The bacteria that caused your sore throat have traveled to your kidneys and are causing a little damage there that allows some red blood cells to leak into your urine and make it orange-colored."
d. "When parts of your kidneys stopped working, your blood kept flowing and broke some of your little blood vessels, so red blood cells are flowing into your urine and making it coffee-colored."

Answer 1

A coffee-colored urine in the context of acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis is caused by red blood cells leaking into the urine due to inflammation of the kidney's filtering units after an immune reaction to a Streptococcus infection.

Step-by-step explanation:

The discoloration of your urine to a coffee-color is most likely due to the presence of red blood cells, which can be a result of the acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis you've been diagnosed with. This condition is an immune reaction that follows a Streptococcus infection, like the sore throat you experienced. After such an infection, the immune system can mistakenly target the kidney's glomeruli, which are the filtering units, causing inflammation and allowing red blood cells to leak into the urine.

To answer the question directly, the most correct response would be: "Your immune system was activated by your sore throat and has caused some damage in your kidneys that allows red blood cells to leak into the fluid that becomes urine and make it coffee-colored." The bacteria don't travel to the kidneys but rather trigger an immune response that results in kidney inflammation and the subsequent symptoms you're experiencing.