Rare case of gelatinous urine diagnosed in urinary tract infection
An 81-year-old man presented to a clinic with pain in the urethral area and a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen with no identifiable triggers. His past medical history included hypertension and chronic bronchitis with emphysema. On admission, the physical examination revealed tenderness in the lower abdomen. A urinalysis from a catheter sample revealed yellow, gelatinous and highly viscous urine with a pH of 8.5, severe proteinuria and numerous bacteria, red and white blood cells and coffin lid-shaped struvite crystals.
The patient was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI), which rarely leads to gelatinous urine. Struvite crystals form in alkaline urine due to bacterial infections in which ammonia is released by bacterial urease, which promotes crystal formation. These crystals can form clumps and cause the gelatinous consistency. Other causes such as gelatinous material from diapers, prostatitis with protein clumping, or diseases such as multiple myeloma that cause abnormal proteins in the urine have been considered.
After antibiotic treatment, the patient’s urine gradually returned to normal and he was discharged. The case emphasizes the need to thoroughly investigate gelatinous urine as an indication of potentially serious infections or other diseases.
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