About Us | Privacy | Site Map
Font Size
A
A
A

Blood in the Urine (cont.)

Causes of Blood in the Urine

Hematuria has many different causes.

  • Blood in the urine can come from any condition that results in infection, inflammation, or injury to the urinary system.


  • Typically, microscopic hematuria indicates damage to the upper urinary tract (kidneys), while visible blood indicates damage to the lower tract (ureters, bladder, or urethra). But this is not always the case.


  • The most common causes in people younger than 40 years of age are kidney stones or urinary tract infections.


  • These may also cause hematuria in older people, but cancers of the kidney, bladder, and prostate become a more common concern in people older than 40 years of age.


  • Several conditions causing hematuria may exist at the same time.


  • Some causes of hematuria are serious, others are not. Your health-care provider will perform tests to help tell the difference.

The well-known causes of blood in the urine include the following:

  • Kidney stones


  • Infections of the urinary tract (UTIs) or genitals


  • Blockage of the urinary tract, usually the urethra: by a stone, a tumor, a narrowing of the opening (stricture), or a compression from surrounding structures


  • Cancer of the kidney, bladder, or prostate


  • Kidney disease


  • Blood clotting disorders


  • Injury to the upper or lower urinary tract, as in a car accident or a bad fall (especially falls onto your back)


  • Medications: antibiotics (for example, rifampin [Rifadin]), analgesics such as aspirin, anticoagulants (blood thinners such as warfarin, [Coumadin]), phenytoin (Dilantin), quinine (Quinerva, Quinite, QM-260)


  • Benign (noncancerous) enlargement of the prostate known as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), a common condition in older men


  • Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and sickle cell anemia


  • Viral infections


  • Inflammation of the kidney, usually of unknown cause


  • Strenuous exercise, especially running, results from repeated jarring of the bladder

Sometimes no cause is found for blood in the urine.

  • If serious conditions such as cancer, kidney disease, and other chronic diseases that cause kidney damage or bleeding are ruled out, the cause is usually not serious.


  • The hematuria will probably go away by itself or continue as a chronic condition without doing harm. Any changes should immediately trigger a return visit and evaluation by your health-care provider.

Urine can be colored pink, red, or brown for reasons that have nothing to do with bleeding in the urinary tract:

  • Foods: beets, berries, and rhubarb in large amounts


  • Food colorings


  • Medications: Different medications can change your urine color.


  • Menstrual blood


  • Liver diseases: These may also be very serious causes of discolored urine.


Next: Blood in the Urine Symptoms »

Viewer Comments & Reviews

Blood In Urine - Describe Your Experience

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

Please describe your experience with blood in urine.

Comment submissions for this question have ended. Viewer Comments FAQs
See 27 Viewer Comments & Reviews

View Comments


Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Women's Health

Find out what women really need.

Are You Depressed? Take the Quiz




Read What Your Physician is Reading on eMedicine

Hematuria »

Hematuria is one of the most common urinary findings that result in children presenting to pediatric nephrologists.

Read More on eMedicine »

Medical Dictionary