Blood in Urine

Rate This

Blood in one’s urine, otherwise known as hematuria, may be alarming. But, fortunately, blood in urine isn’t always an indication of a serious issue. Blood that is visible in urine is called gross hematuria, which indicates the presence of red blood cells in the urine. In such cases, the urine may have a pink or red tint.

Hematuria can be distinguished from urinary blood that is visible only under a microscope. This is known as microscopic hematuria.

Blood in urine can be caused by strenuous excerise, or taking certain medications (e.g., asprin). Women may, at times, believe that blood is in the urine when it is actually coming from the vagina (e.g., during menstruation). In addition, sometimes, blood from a bowel movement may be mistaken for blood in urine. Consuming beets or certain other foods can make it appear that there is blood in the urine when there is not.

To find the cause of hematuria, or to rule out certain causes, the doctor may order a number of tests, such as urinalysis, blood tests, and kidney imaging studies. Urinalysis, which is the examination of urine, allows the doctor to find microscopic red blood cells or, perhaps, white blood cells.

White blood cells can signal either a urinary tract infection or casts, which are groups of cells molded together in the shape of the kidneys' tiny filtering tubes. Casts often signal kidney disease, as does excessive protein in the urine.

The doctor may also order blood tests, which can reveal kidney disease should the blood contains high levels of wastes that the kidneys generally remove. In addition, kidney-imaging studies such as ultrasounds and computerized tomography (CT) scan provide a helpful glimpse of the kidney and/or urinary tract. These images can reveal a tumor, a kidney or bladder stone, an enlarged prostate, or some other blockage to the flow of urine.

Blood in the urine should never be ignored. Contact your doctor right away if blood in urine is accompanied by fever, nausea, vomiting, shaking/chills, or pain in your abdomen, side, or back. In addition, if you are passing blood clots in your urine or are unable to urinate, contact your health care provider immediately.

You should also contact your doctor if hematuria is accompanied by pain with sexual intercourse, urine dribbling, frequent urination or difficulty starting your urinary flow.

Sources:

Blood in Urine (Hematauria). Web. www.mayoclinic.com. Accessed 20 Oct. 2011
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/blood-in-urine/DS01013

Urine- Bloody. Web. www.nim.nih.gov. Accessed 20 Oct. 2011
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003138.htm

Hematuria (Blood in Urine). Web. www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov. Accessed 20 Oct. 2011
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/hematuria

Reviewed October 26, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

How Much Do You Know About Bladder Cancer? Take the Quiz

Blood in Urine: Symptoms, Causes and Risks

Blood in Urine: Causes

Blood in Urine - Do You Need a Specialist?

Add a CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!

Shenia K. View Profile Send Message

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.