Alert - blood in the urine

Hematuria is the presence of blood in the urine. Specific issues with kidneys or any part of the urinary tract can lead to the presence of blood in the urine.

 Blood in the urine can be observed in two ways :

• Gross hematuria - blood that can be seen with naked eyes
• Microscopic hematuria - blood that is visible only when examined under the microscope 

Causes of hematuria 

 If there are issues with the kidneys or urinary tract, then it causes blood in the urine. There are various other reasons as well, such as:

• Urinary tract infections - urinary infections are caused when the bacteria enter the urethra and multiply in the bladder. This could cause severe pain, burning sensation while urinating, urge to urinate often, and foul smell from urine.
• Kidney stone - minerals in the urine might form crystals on the walls of the kidney or bladder. Sometimes these crystals will become severe and hard stones. If the stones are small, it is painless but sometimes would lead to severe pain and causes either gross or microscopic bleeding.
• Kidney infections - when bacteria enter from bloodstream or ureters to kidneys, pyelonephritis, or kidney infections begin. Symptoms are similar to bladder infections plus might get fever and flank pain.
• Cancer - gross hematuria could be a sign of prostate, bladder, or kidney cancer. It will be a challenge to find early signs.
• Enlarged prostate gland - prostate gland is just below the bladder and above the urethra. It might get enlarged for men when they are in their middle age. It blocks the urine flow by compressing the urethra. It will be difficult to urinate and can cause either gross or microscopic hematuria.
• Injuries - any injury caused on the kidney due to accidents or sports activity can also cause urine in blood.
• Heavy exercises - it is a rare scenario when the body is dehydrated, under trauma, or the breakdown of red blood cells can cause urine in the blood, which is visible.
• Medications - certain medicines will have side effects that would lead to other issues, especially medications used to treat cancer.

Medical care

Sometimes medications can treat urinary tract infections and prescribed antibiotics for the enlarged prostate gland. Shock wave therapy will be used to treat kidney or bladder stones, but in some instances, no treatment is needed. 

Treatment will be recommended based on the cause of bleeding. The reason could be anything, but if blood clots block the urine flow, then doctors would insert a tube to the bladder and will try to clear out the blood clots.

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Blog Reviewed By: Dr.Muthu Veeramani
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