What is hematuria (blood in the urine)?
Seeing blood in your urine can be alarming. While in many instances the cause is harmless, blood in urine
(hematuria) should be taken seriously as it can indicate a serious underlying disease.
Blood in the urine also know as hematuria, is a symptom of an underlying issue in the urinary tract. The
blood loss is usually not heavy, so the main concern is diagnosing the underlying cause.
Blood in the urine may painless or may be accompanied by other symptoms.
Contrary to popular belief, painless visible blood in the urine is actually the more alarming situation.
This is because cancers of the urinary tract such as of the kidney, bladder or prostate cancer do not
cause pain unless at a very advanced stage.
Blood in the urine that is accompanied by pain on urination is commonly caused by an urinary tract
infection (UTI). If haematuria is associated with pain in the back or abdomen, this may be caused by a
kidney or ureter stone.
Is all reddish urine caused by blood?
Reddish urine may sometimes not be caused by blood. This is called pseudohematuria.
Pseudo-haematuria may be caused by the following:
- Foods like red dragonfruit, beets, rhubarb, and certain berries.
- Some medications- e.g for seizure, laxatives ( Senna ), urination pain (Urogesic).
It is important to see a doctor to check if the red coloured urine is caused by blood in the urine rather than hope or assume that it is pseudohematuria.
Is blood in the urine an emergency? How do I know I need to consult urgently?
Blood in the urine is not usually an emergency, unless the urine is very dark red and has large clots. In that situation, there is a significant loss of blood, and the clots may cause blockage of urination.