Where Did the Blood in My Urine Come From?

Hematuria is a medical term used to indicate the presence of blood in the urine. The mere presence of blood in the urine can make a person worry.

While sometimes hematuria may be temporary and goes away on its own, in others, it may be a sign of a more serious health problem.

Having blood in the urine does not always mean that a person has kidney disease or urinary tract disorder. There are several causes of hematuria. Some may be mild that it does not always need special medical treatment and some are serious that needs to be treated right away. Such conditions include cancer that occurs anywhere in the urinary tract and urinary infections.

In the medical field, the presence of blood in the urine can either be called microscopic or gross hematuria. They can be different depending on whether blood is visible to the eye or not. When blood is visible to the naked eye, the condition is called gross hematuria. In this case, the person notices a tinge of red in the urine or sometimes the color of cola.

In microscopic hematuria, a person does not see visible signs of blood but medical testing would reveal presence of blood in the urine sample. Microscopic hematuria may be discovered during a routine urine test or testing for other health problem.

Whether hematuria is macroscopic or gross hematuria, it is often necessary to know whether the cause of the condition is temporary or it is a sign of a more serious health condition, especially if a person has persistent presence of blood in his or her urine.

In some cases, the reddish discoloration of the urine can be caused by certain drugs and foods like beets. This discoloration can be mistaken to be hematuria but, in true sense, it is not. Sometimes hematuria can be caused by performing strenuous exercises. In some, it occurs after participating in a marathon long distance cycling. The reason for this is not fully clear, however. But in most cases of exercise-related hematuria, the condition usually clears away within a few days.

A condition called urinary tract infection can cause bloody urine to happen. A urinary tract infection is caused by bacteria or other microorganisms. Signs of urinary tract infection include cloudy urine, frequent urge to urinate, painful urination, hematuria and pain in the back.

In some people, having bloody urine can be caused by a kidney or bladder stone passing through the urinary tract. As a kidney or bladder stone passes through smaller urinary tract tubes, it can irritate the inner lining of those tubes including the blood vessels, thus, causing hematuria to happen.

In some cases, the condition can be caused by a kidney disorder, such as clotting of blood vessels in the kidneys, polycystic kidney disease and glomerulonephritis. And sometimes, others may have the condition as a result of a direct trauma to the kidneys or other urinary tract structures.

Sometimes, the condition may occur because of other health problems, such as hemophilia (a bleeding disorder), sickle cell disease or a cancer in any of the urinary tract.

In any case, the cause of hematuria, especially if it becomes persistent and has other accompanying symptoms, should be checked by a qualified physician.

Sources:

Hematuria (Blood in the Urine). National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC).

Urine-Bloody. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, National Institutes of Health (NIH).