What You Should Know About Blood in Your Urine | Tennessee Valley Urology Center
At Tennessee Valley Urology Center, we know that it can be scary for a person to find blood in their urine. There’s definitely no need to panic should this happen to you, but you should see a doctor for an evaluation to determine the underlying cause.
The presence of blood in the urine is called hematuria. It has no particular treatment since it is a symptom rather than a condition in and of itself. In most cases, treatment of the underlying condition will resolve blood in urine.
Because urine is made in the kidneys, blood can originate there, but blood can also come from other urinary tract structures like the:
- Ureters (tubes running from the kidneys to the bladder)
- Bladder (pouch where urine is stored)
- Urethra (tube which runs from the bladder to the outside of the body)
If you are experiencing hematuria, rather than being a normal pale yellow color, your urine will generally be pink, red, brownish-red, or even tea-colored. Occasionally, your urine will look normal to the naked eye, but a lab will detect the presence of red blood cells. This is called microscopic hematuria. It’s usually only discovered when a urine sample is tested with a dipstick and the results are confirmed with a microscopic examination.
Common underlying causes of hematuria can include:
Bladder Infections
Adult bladder infections typically cause burning or pain upon urination. Infants and babies may experience fever, irritability, and feeding difficulties. Older kids might get fever, pain or burning with urination, a feeling of bladder urgency, and pain in their lower belly.
Kidney Infections
In addition to hematuria, a kidney infection can all bring about fever and chills, and pain in the lower back/flank.
Kidney stones.
Symptoms may also include severe abdominal or pelvic pain.
Kidney disease.
Symptoms might also include general weakness, high blood pressure, body swelling, or puffiness around one’s eyes.
Other causes of blood in urine include:
- An enlarged prostate or prostate cancer Bladder cancer
- Inherited diseases like sickle cell anemia or cystic kidney disease
- Some medications like aspirin, penicillin, heparin, cyclophosphamide, or phenazopyridine
- Tumors in the bladder, kidney, or prostate
- A kidney injury
- Excessive or strenuous exercise
According to Mayo Clinic, “some medications, such as the laxative Ex-lax, and certain foods, including beets, rhubarb and berries, can cause your urine to turn red.”
If you appear to have blood in your urine, there’s no need to be alarmed, but you should certainly see a doctor promptly to rule out any serious, underlying conditions. Visit our website today to learn more about our services, or give us a call!