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Purple Urine Bag Syndrome: An Educational Case Of A Colorful Condition In The Chronically Catheterized, Teshome Gebrmichael, Fikirte Feleke, Waseem Ahmed, Madhulika Urella, Samson Teka

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome is a rare condition characterized by purple discoloration of the urinary drainage bag. It is typically seen in elderly patients with chronic indwelling urinary catheterization, and is associated with urinary tract infections with high bacterial load, female gender, severe disability, constipation, and alkaline urine. This phenomenon occurs when tryptophan metabolites in the urine are broken down by bacteria containing indoxyl sulphatase and phosphatase enzymes. This results in the production of indigo and indirubin, which combine to give a purple appearance. This article presents a 78-year-old male with chronic urinary retention requiring intermittent Foley catheterization for the …