Chyluria, also called chylous urine, is a medical condition involving the presence of chyle

Chyle

Chyle is a milky bodily fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fats, or free fatty acids . It is formed in the small intestine during digestion of fatty foods, and taken up by lymph vessels specifically known as lacteals...

 in the urine

Urine

Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

 stream, which results in urine appearing milky white. It is a condition that is more prevalent among people of Africa and the Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

.

Chyluria appearance is irregular and intermittent.It may last several days, weeks or even months. There are several factors that trigger Chyluria recurrence.

Causes

Chyluria is often caused by filariasis

Filariasis

Filariasis is a parasitic disease and is considered an infectious tropical disease, that is caused by thread-like nematodes belonging to the superfamily Filarioidea, also known as "filariae"....

 due to the parasite Wuchereria bancrofti

Wuchereria bancrofti

Filaria, is a parasitic filarial nematode spread by a mosquito vector. It is one of the three parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis, an infection of the lymphatic system by filarial worms. It affects over 120 million people, primarily in Africa, South America, and other tropical and...

, a thready nematode

Nematode

The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...

 which lodges the lymph

Lymph

Lymph is considered a part of the interstitial fluid, the fluid which lies in the interstices of all body tissues. Interstitial fluid becomes lymph when it enters a lymph capillary...

 channels. Another cause is pregnancy or childbirth.
Patients claimed that Chyluria occurred after overwork. Mental tension, sadness, annoyance, anger etc could also produce attack of Chyluria.

In the United States, one of the most common causes is partial nephrectomy or thermal ablation of a kidney lesion.

Symptoms

Once the lymph channels are blocked, one may open into the kidney hilum

Hilum of kidney

The renal hilum or renal pedicle of the kidney is the recessed central fissure. The medial border of the kidney is concave in the center and convex toward either extremity; it is directed forward and a little downward. Its central part presents a deep longitudinal fissure, bounded by prominent...

 or ureter

Ureter

In human anatomy, the ureters are muscular tubes that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In the adult, the ureters are usually long and ~3-4 mm in diameter....

 or sometimes into the bladder

Urinary bladder

The urinary bladder is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys before disposal by urination. A hollow muscular, and distensible organ, the bladder sits on the pelvic floor...

 and chyle can leak into the urinary tract resulting in milky white urine. Blood sometimes mixes with the urine resulting in haemato-chyluria.

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

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....

 and vitamin deficiency.

Treatment

An anti-filarial drug, such as diethylcarbamazine

Diethylcarbamazine

Diethylcarbamazine is an anthelmintic drug that does not resemble other antiparasitic compounds. It is a synthetic organic compound which is highly specific for several parasites and does not contain any toxic metallic elements.-Uses:...

, may be prescribed. Severe damage to lymph channels may require surgery

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

.