Blood in your urine can be alarming. While in many instances the cause is harmless, blood in urine (hematuria) can indicate a serious disorder.

Blood that you can see is called gross hematuria. Urinary blood that's visible only under a microscope (microscopic hematuria) is found when your doctor tests your urine. Either way, it's important to determine the reason for the bleeding.

Symptoms

Gross hematuria produces pink, red or cola-colored urine due to the presence of red blood cells. It takes little blood to produce red urine, and the bleeding usually isn't painful. Passing blood clots in your urine, however, can be painful.

In hematuria, your kidneys -or other parts of your urinary tract -allow blood cells to leak into urine. Various problems can cause this leakage, including:

Causes

• Urinary tract infections
• Kidney infections (pyelonephritis)
• A bladder or kidney stone
• Enlarged prostate
• Kidney disease
• Cancer
• Inherited disorders
• Kidney injury
• Medications
• Strenuous exercise

Risk factors

Age: Many men older than 50 have occasional hematuria due to an enlarged prostate gland.

A recent infection: Kidney inflammation after a viral or bacterial infection (post-infectious glomerulonephritis) is one of the leading causes of visible urinary blood in children.

Family history: You might be more prone to urinary bleeding if you have a family history of kidney disease or kidney stones.

Certain medications: Aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers and antibiotics such as penicillin are known to increase the risk of urinary bleeding.

Strenuous exercise: Long-distance runners are especially prone to exercise-induced urinary bleeding. In fact, the condition is sometimes called jogger's hematuria. But anyone who works out strenuously can develop symptoms.

Diagnosis

Physical exam:  Which includes a discussion of your medical history.

Urine tests: Even if your bleeding was discovered through urine testing (urinalysis), you're likely to have another test to see if your urine still contains red blood cells. A urinalysis can also check for a urinary tract infection or the presence of minerals that cause kidney stones.

Imaging tests: Often, an imaging test is required to find the cause of hematuria. Your doctor might recommend a CT or MRI scan or an ultrasound exam.

Cystoscopy: Your doctor threads a narrow tube fitted with a tiny camera into your bladder to examine the bladder and urethra for signs of disease.

Conclusion

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Journal of Kidney Treatment and Diagnosis