Normal urine output of adults

Q: What is the normal urine output per hour mL?

Whats the minimum urine output per hour? A healthy urine output for an adult person should be greater than or equal to 0.5 ml/kg/hr.

Definition

Decreased urine output means that you produce less urine than normal. Most adults make at least 500 mL of urine in 24 hours (a little over 2 cups).

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Alternative Names
When to Contact a Medical Professional
What to Expect at Your Office Visit
What is the normal urine output per hour mL?
Is 30 mL per hour normal urine output?

Alternative Names

Oliguria

Causes

Common causes include:

Dehydration from not drinking enough fluids and having vomiting, diarrhea, or fever
Total urinary tract blockage, such as from an enlarged prostate
Medicines such as anticholinergics and some antibiotics

Less common causes include:

Blood loss
Severe infection or other medical condition that leads to shock

Home Care

Drink the amount of fluid your health care provider recommends.

Your provider may tell you to measure the amount of urine you produce.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

A large decrease in urine output may be a sign of a serious condition. In some cases, it can be life threatening. Most of the time, urine output can be restored with prompt medical care.

Contact your provider if:

You notice that you are producing less urine than usual.
Your urine looks much darker than usual.
You are vomiting, have diarrhea, or have a high fever and cannot get enough fluids by mouth.
You have dizziness, lightheadedness, or a fast pulse with decreased urine output.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

Your provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions such as:

When did the problem start and has it changed over time?
How much do you drink each day and how much urine do you produce?
Have you noticed any change in urine color?
What makes the problem worse? Better?
Have you had vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or other symptoms of illness?
What medicines do you take?
Do you have a history of kidney or bladder problems?

Tests that may be done include:

Abdominal ultrasound
Blood tests for electrolytes, kidney function, and blood count
CT scan of the abdomen (done without contrast dye if your kidney function is impaired)
Renal scan
Urine tests, including tests for infection
Cystoscopy

Images

References

Emmett M, Fenves AV, Schwartz JC. Approach to the patient with kidney disease. In: Skorecki K, Chertow GM, Marsden PA, Taal MW, Yu ASL, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 25.

Molitoris BA. Acute kidney injury. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 112.

Riley RS, McPherson RA. Basic examination of urine. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2017:chap 28.

Reviewed By:

Sovrin M. Shah, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

What is excessive urination volume?

Excessive urination volume (or polyuria) occurs when you urinate more than normal. Urine volume is considered excessive if it equals more than 2.5 liters per day.

A “normal” urine volume depends on your age and gender. However, less than 2 liters per day is usually considered normal.

Excreting excessive volumes of urine is a common condition but should not last more than several days. Many people notice the symptom at night. In this case, it is called nocturnal polyuria (or nocturia).

Excessive urine output can sometimes signal health problems, including:

bladder infection (common in children and women)
urinary incontinence
diabetes
interstitial nephritis
kidney failure
kidney stones
psychogenic polydipsia, a mental disorder causing excessive thirst
sickle cell anemia
enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (most common in men over 50 years old)
certain kinds of cancer

You may also notice polyuria after a CT scan or any other hospital test in which a dye is injected into your body. Excessive urine volume is common the day after the test. Call your doctor if the problem continues.

Excessive urine volume often occurs due to lifestyle behaviors. This can include drinking large amounts of liquid, which is known as polydipsia and isn’t a serious health concern. Drinking alcohol and caffeine can also lead to polyuria.

Certain medications, such as diuretics, increase urine volume. Talk to your doctor if you recently started a new medication (or just changed your dosage) and notice changes in your urine volume. Both alcohol and caffeine are diuretics, and some medications for high blood pressure and edema also act as diuretics, including:

thiazide diuretics, such as chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide
potassium-sparing diuretics, such as eplerenone and triamterene
loop diuretics, such as bumetanide and furosemide

You may experience polyuria as a side effect of these medications.

Seek treatment for polyuria if you think a health issue is the cause. Certain symptoms should prompt you to see your doctor right away, including:

fever
back pain
leg weakness
sudden onset of polyuria, especially in early childhood
mental disorders
night sweats
weight loss

These symptoms can signal spinal cord disorders, diabetes, kidney infections, or cancer. Seek treatment as soon as you notice these symptoms. Treatment can help you quickly address the cause of your polyuria and maintain good health.

If you think the increase is due to an increase in fluids or medication, monitor your urine volume for a couple of days. If the excessive volume continues after this period of monitoring, talk to your doctor.

Diabetes mellitus (often simply called diabetes) is one of the most common causes of polyuria. In this condition, high amounts of glucose (blood sugar) collect in your kidney tubules and cause your urine volume to increase.

Another form of diabetes called diabetes insipidus increases your urine volume because your body isn’t producing enough antidiuretic hormone. Antidiuretic hormone is also known as ADH or vasopressin. ADH is produced by your pituitary gland and is part of the fluid absorption process in your kidneys. Your urine volume can increase if there is not enough ADH produced. It can also increase if your kidneys can’t properly control the fluid passing through them. This is known as nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

Your doctor will measure your blood glucose if they suspect that diabetes is causing your polyuria. If a form of diabetes is causing polyuria, your doctor will recommend treatment and lifestyle changes to help get your diabetes under control. These treatments can include:

insulin injections
oral medications
dietary changes
exercise

Learn more: Everything you should know about diabetes inisipidus »

Excessive urine volume not caused by underlying health issues can be addressed at home.

You can likely relieve your symptoms by simply changing the behaviors that lead to excessive urine volume. Try the following tips:

Watch your fluid intake.
Limit fluids before bedtime.
Limit caffeinated and alcoholic beverages.
Understand the side effects of medications.

Excessive urine volume caused by health concerns, such as diabetes, can be addressed by treating the underlying cause. For example, treatment for diabetes through changes in diet and medication often relieve the side effect of excessive urine volume.

Be open and honest with your doctor about excessive urination. It can be uncomfortable to talk to your doctor about your urination habits. However, the outlook for polyuria is usually good, especially if you don’t have any serious medical conditions. You may only need to make lifestyle changes to resolve your polyuria.

Other underlying conditions causing polyuria may require extensive or long-term treatment. If diabetes or cancer is causing polyuria, your doctor will discuss the necessary treatments for resolving any medical issues in addition to helping get your polyuria under control.

What is the normal urine output per hour mL?

What's the minimum urine output per hour? A healthy urine output for an adult person should be greater than or equal to 0.5 ml/kg/hr.

Is 30 mL per hour normal urine output?

Urine output of less than 30 mL/hr (roughly 0.5 mL / kg / hour for a 70-kilogram patient) should be considered cause for concern. Recognition of decreased urine output is much more straightforward than recognition of acute kidney injury in the PACU.