Hematuria is the medical term for blood in urine. Noticing blood in your urine can be startling. Most of the time, it’s a symptom of a minor infection and it isn’t usually painful. But it can also be a sign of something more serious, so it’s always a good idea to have your doctor check it out.
Most often, blood in the urine isn’t visible except with a microscope and it gets discovered when you’ve had routine urine tests done. Then, it’s called microscopic hematuria.
When there is enough blood that you can see it, it’s called gross hematuria. The color of your urine may be pink, dark red or even brown. There may even be blood clots in the urine. Blood clots in urine can look like stringy, wormlike blobs, or red or darkened little chunks.
Peeing blood could be an emergency in some instances. You should call 911 or seek emergency care if you see blood clots when you urinate, can’t urinate or have blood in your urine along with any of these conditions:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Chills
- Pain in your side, back or abdomen
Why is there blood in my urine?
The most common cause of blood in the urine is an infection in part of your urinary tract (UTI), which consists of:
- Urethra: Tube that lets urine exit the body
- Bladder: Organ that stores urine
- Kidneys: Organs that remove waste products and fluid from the blood to make urine
- Ureters: Tubes that allow urine to flow from the kidneys to the bladder
Other potential causes of peeing blood are:
- Bladder stones or kidney stones
- Enlarged prostate gland
- Kidney disease
- Cancer of the bladder, kidney or prostate
- Side effect from taking some medications (aspirin, antibiotics, blood thinners)
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Sickle cell disease
- Trauma or injury to a part of the urinary system
- Blood clots and blood-clotting disorders
- Vigorous exercise
Hematuria risk factors
Some of these things can increase the likelihood of your having hematuria:
- Family history of kidney disease
- Personal history of kidney stones
- Enlarged prostate
- Bacterial or viral infections like streptococcus or hepatitis
How to diagnose & treat hematuria
When you go to see your doctor about blood in your urine, they’ll ask about your symptoms and any things in your family history that might contribute to your symptoms. They’ll perform a physical exam and will ask for samples of your urine and your blood so they can run tests to help with their diagnosis and possible hematuria treatment plan.
You may be sent for imaging tests such as a kidney ultrasound or a CT scan so your doctor can get a look at the tissues that may be infected or affected in some way. They may do a cystoscopy. For a cystoscopy, a small tube with a tiny camera is inserted through the urethra so your doctor can examine the inside of your urethra and bladder.
Hematuria treatments
Once your doctor has determined the cause of your condition, they’ll work with you to decide the best hematuria treatment plan that will meet your needs.
To treat blood in your urine, you must reach a diagnosis from your doctor. The treatment of your hematuria will depend on your diagnosis. For example, if you have a bacterial infection, your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics.
Treatments for kidney stones
If you have kidney stones, your doctor might suggest diet changes or prescribe a medication to help break them up so they will pass easily. Two other potential treatments for kidney stones are:
- Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL): This treatment uses sound waves to break the stones into tiny pieces that can pass out of your body in your urine.
- Ureteroscope: The ureteroscope is inserted through your urethra and up through the urinary tract to find the stones, break them up and remove them.
