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Definition of Hematuria
Finding blood in your urine can be very
frightening and must be investigated by a doctor, but it's not usually a sign
of anything life-threatening.
While in many instances there are benign
causes, blood in urine (hematuria) can also indicate a serious disorder.
Blood that you can see is called gross
hematuria. Urinary blood that's visible only under a microscope is known as
microscopic hematuria and is found when your doctor tests your urine. Either
way, it's important to determine the reason for the bleeding. Treatment depends
on the underlying cause.
Causes of Hematuria
The causes of gross and microscopic
hematuria are similar and may result from bleeding anywhere along the urinary
tract. One cannot readily distinguish between blood originating in the kidneys,
ureters (the tubes that transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder),
bladder, or urethra. Any degree of blood in the urine should be fully evaluated
by a physician, even if it resolves spontaneously.
Common causes of blood in urine include:
Bladder infection (such as
cystitis) – which typically also causes a burning pain when you urinate.
Kidney infection – which may
also cause a high temperature and pain in the side of your tummy.
Kidney stones – which may be
painless, but can sometimes block one of the tubes coming from your kidneys and
cause severe tummy pain.
Urethritis – inflammation of
the tube that carries urine out of the body (urethra); it's often caused by a
sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia.
An enlarged prostate gland –
this is a common condition in older men and nothing to do with prostate cancer;
an enlarged prostate gland will press on the bladder and may also cause
problems such as difficulty urinating and a frequent need to urinate.
Bladder cancer – this
usually affects adults aged over 50 and can also cause you to urinate more
often and more urgently, as well as pain when urinating.
Kidney cancer – this also
usually affects adults aged over 50, and can cause persistent pain below your
ribs and a lump in your tummy.
Prostate cancer – this is
usually only seen in men aged over 50 and usually progresses very slowly; other
symptoms can include needing to urinate more frequently and urgently, and
difficulty emptying your bladder.
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