Urine with blood, scientifically called hematuria, usually arises due to problems in the kidneys or the urinary tract, and the most frequent one is to appear symptoms like burning when urinating, pink urine, blood wires in the urine, what can happen due to kidney stones or urinary tract infection, for example.
However, blood-filled urine may also arise due to over-exercising, for example, not to be worried if it lasts less than 24 hours. In the specific case of women, the urine with blood can also appear during menstruation and should not be cause for alarm. Eating foods with red dyes can also leave the urine seemingly pink or reddish, as well as taking certain medicines like Novalgina, for example.
Learn about other causes that change the color of urine in: Common urine changes.
Main Causes of Blood in Urine
The main causes of blood in the urine are:
1. Urinary tract infection
- How to identify: It is more common in women and usually causes frequent urge to urinate, pain when urinating and feeling of heaviness in the bottom of the belly. See other symptoms in: Symptoms of urinary tract infection.
- Treatment: You should consult a gynecologist or urologist, because the urinary tract infection should be treated with antibiotics prescribed by the doctor.
2. Kidney stone
- How to identify: It is more common in adults, but can appear at any age, causing burning while urinating, intense pain in the back and nausea. Here's how to easily identify: How to tell if I have kidney stone.
- Treatment: Kidney stone is a medical emergency because of the severe pain it causes, so it is recommended to go to the emergency room as soon as possible.
3. Red food consumption
- How to identify: It happens when you eat a lot of reddish foods, like beets, or with red dye, which can leave your urine red, looking like blood. See what other foods can change the urine: What can change the color of the urine.
- Treatment: one should stop consuming these foods and increase water consumption to about 2 liters per day.
4. Intake of some medicines
- How to identify: Some blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin or aspirin, can cause blood to appear in the urine, especially in elderly patients.
- Treatment: It is advisable to consult the doctor who prescribed the medication in order to adapt the dose.
5. Kidney, bladder, or prostate cancer
- How to identify: They are diseases more frequent for urine with blood in the man, also can cause urinary incontinence, pain when urinating, loss of weight or difficulty to urinate.
- Urine treatment with blood: It is recommended to consult a gynecologist, in the case of the woman, or a urologist, in case of man, if these symptoms appear or the blood appears for no apparent reason.
Urine with blood in pregnancy
Urine with blood in pregnancy is usually caused by a urinary tract infection, however, blood may originate in the vagina and mix with urine, indicating more serious problems such as placental abruption, which should be treated as soon as possible possible to avoid injury to the fetus.
Thus, whenever urine with blood appears during pregnancy, it is advised to inform the obstetrician immediately so that he can take the necessary diagnostic tests and start the appropriate treatment.
Here's how feeding can help cure this infection faster in the next video.
Urine with blood in the newborn
Urine with blood in the newborn is usually not serious, as it can be caused by the presence of urate crystals in the urine, which give a reddish or pinkish color, appearing as if the baby has blood in the urine.
See other causes that lead to the presence of blood in the baby's diaper.
Thus, to treat the urine with blood in the newborn, parents should give the baby water several times a day to dilute the urine. However, in case the blood in the urine does not disappear after 2 to 3 days, it is recommended to consult the pediatrician to diagnose the problem and start the appropriate treatment.
When to go to the doctor
It is recommended to consult a gynecologist, in the case of the woman, or a urologist, in the case of the man, when:
- Blood urine lasts more than 48 hours;
- Other symptoms appear such as fever above 38ºC, intense pain when urinating or vomiting;
- There is difficulty urinating or urinary incontinence.
To identify the cause of urine with blood, your doctor may order diagnostic tests, such as ultrasound, CT scan, or cystoscopy.