2024-01-27 15:23:00
(CNN Spanish) — “The Snow Society”, the Netflix film nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film, brought to the cinema in a hyper-realistic way the details of one of the most shocking survival stories of the last half century.
The hostile climate, the lack of food, a series of avalanches and the emotional challenge of spending 72 days at the top of the Andes knowing that the authorities had suspended the search were just some of the difficulties that the members of the team had to deal with. Uruguayan rugby team that traveled to Chile for a sports competition.
A health issue is reflected almost as a detail by the film’s director, the Spanish Juan Antonio Bayona, and caught the attention of the audience: the survivors urinated a dark brown, almost black color.
Although there is a scene that shows it and a moment in which the survivors mention it, there is no explanation in the film of what the reason behind this physiological phenomenon might be.
Beyond the specific episode, the truth is that the color of urine is an important indicator of several issues related to hydration levels, the quantity and quality of food, the state of the organs and even the intake of some medications.
Capture of a scene from the movie “The Snow Society”, in which it is seen that the survivors of the tragedy in the Andes were urinating almost black in color.
Experts consulted by CNN en Español agreed that dark urine may be linked to dehydration, even though the survivors ingested water through a rudimentary system to melt the snow.
“The kidneys are a blood filter, they help us get rid of toxins and also water. When they do not have water, the kidneys produce a dark color, not black, but very dark. Therefore, if you do not drink liquid, you will produce little urine, thick and of an intense yellow-orange color. On the contrary, if you drink a lot of water, your urine will be transparent,” explained Dr. Elmer Huerta, professor of Medicine at George Washington University and contributor to CNN.
However, the medical specialist stated that the films have elements of fiction and dramatization: “Maybe that almost black color is an exaggeration. It is probably dark, yes, but not that dark.”
Dr. Juan Cardenas Rosales, an internist and medical leader of Mayo Clinic’s international practice in Jacksonville, Florida, includes other factors in explaining dehydration.
“Of course, water is what allows the light yellow color. But I don’t think dehydration causes that dark color, it should be combined with something else.”
When investigating, then, regarding other reasons beyond dehydration, both specialists agree on a possible diagnosis.
“I think there is a second explanation that depends on the cold,” said Dr. Huerta. “The intense cold generates hypothermia, a phenomenon to which all survivors were subjected. There are several studies that indicate that those who suffer severe hypothermia suffer a process of destruction of their muscle cells. It is called rhabdomyolysis,” he explained.
In fact, intense hypothermia causes destruction of muscle cells, which release a substance called myoglobin into the blood, according to an article published in the National Library of Medicine of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH). When myoglobin reaches the blood, it generates a very dark brown color in the urine, according to Dr. Huerta, in the disease identified as rhabdomyolysis or “rhabdo.”
Urine samples of different colors. (Credit: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
“In the case of the survivors from the Andes, the clinical picture might include dehydration, more hypothermia, more ‘rhabdo,'” Dr. Huerta told CNN.
Dr. Cárdenas Rosales also says that dark urine might be caused by damage to the kidneys from rhabdomyolysis. However, he highlights another cause, in addition to the cold, for this condition to occur.
“Exercising too much or, as in the case of the Andres survivors, making excessive efforts, can also lead to rhabdomyolysis. It consists of the release of a toxin resulting from a breakdown of muscle tissue that can sometimes damage the kidneys,” Indian.
In either case, “rhabdo” is a form of muscle damage that causes muscle fibers to die and be released into the bloodstream. Without immediate medical attention, it can lead to lasting kidney damage, according to an article de CNN.
Although this is the most compelling explanation for those involved in the tragedy in the Andes, Dr. Cárdenas Rosales insists that, under normal conditions, that dark color in urine might be caused by multiple factors.
“It might be from foods like abas, aloe, or from antibiotics or some medications like those used for constipation and seizures. It can also respond to chronic conditions, like urinary infections. And it might also be due to some bleeding in the system. urinary system,” he concludes.
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