Purple urinary bag syndrome

Violet discoloration of urine: A case report and a literature review

BACKGROUND

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome (PUBS) is an uncommon event that can be described as purple discoloration of urine due to a series of chemical reactions induced by Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). PUBS has been reported in the past but still remains unrecognized by healthcare givers leading to misdiagnosis and inappropriate management. We report our case alongside a literature review of previously published cases.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present the first case report of Purple Urine Bag Syndrome in Jordan of a catheterized 80-year-old wheel-chaired female with a history of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM), stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease (CDK), Hypertension, and ischemic stroke. Her condition was initially misdiagnosed for hematuria but later on was correctly diagnosed with PUBS. She was treated with a course of appropriate antibiotic and by changing her urinary catheter and bag. The patient returned for a follow up visit and her problem resolved with the color of her urine in the urine bag returning back to normal.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

PUBS is an uncommon event that occurs in association with UTIs. Such cases are mostly seen in elderly catheterized patients with other risk factors.

CONCLUSION

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome can be managed by changing urinary catheter, and by the administration of appropriate antibiotics. Such event can be easily misdiagnosed thus leading to unnecessary and consuming measures. Creating a better awareness of this condition among physicians and healthcare givers is essential for better patient outcomes.

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome: More Than Eyes Can See

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is an uncommon clinical entity characterized by purple urine discoloration in the setting of urinary tract infections. Pa-thophysiology of PUBS has been correlated to aberrant metabolism of tryptophan. Multiple predisposing factors have been recognized, namely: female gender, advanced age, constipation, institutionalization, long-term catheter-ization, dementia and chronic kidney disease. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of all PUBS cases reported in PubMed, focusing on the predisposing factors and the microorganisms related to PUBS.

METHODS

We performed a search in PubMed database for articles referring to PUBS, published in English, French, Spanish and German from January 1978 until November 2017. The literature recruitment strategy was based on several keywords and Medical Subject Heading combination such as "purple urine bag syndrome" or PUBS or "urine discoloration". The finally selected articles were categorized into case reports/series (88 articles including 112 patients) and studies (10 articles including 134 patients). Demographical data as well as predisposing factors were recorded and further analyzed.

RESULTS

According to our findings, mean age of PUBS patients was 78.9 ± 12.3 years, 70.7% were female while 90.1% were suffering from constipation, 76.1% were in a bedridden situation, 45.1% were experiencing long-term catheterization, 42.8% had been diagnosed with dementia, 14.3% had recurrent urinary tract infections and 14.1% were chronic kidney disease patients. 91.3% of patients presenting with PUBS alkaline urine were observed while the most common microbe in urine cultures was E. coli.

CONCLUSIONS

PUBS is considered benign process in the majority of catheterized patients. Clinicians should be aware of the syndrome that may indicate serious comorbidities.