Why Blood Comes In Urine?

‘Why blood comes in urine?’ is one of the most common questions asked by patients who witness blood in the urine. In medical terms, blood in urine is called hematuria, and its occurrence can be alarming. But did you know it is not a significant medical condition?

Before you express a sigh of relief, you must consider looking for an answer to why blood comes in my urine! As much as it is not a condition to worry about, it can be a sign of another underlying condition. You must not ignore blood in urine and must seek medical attention to evaluate the cause.

Blood in the urine can be detected in two ways. When it is visible, it is called ‘visible’, ‘gross haematuria’ or ‘macroscopic.’ When blood is not visible, and it is detected in laboratory testing, it is called ‘non-visible’ in layman terms, or ‘microscopic haematuria’ in medical terms.

But where does the blood come from? Blood in the urine can come from the kidney, which makes the urine, as well as from other parts of the urinary tract. It can come from

• The tubes from your kidneys to the bladder called Ureters
• The bladder which stores the urine
• The tube from the bladder to the outside of the body called the urethra

When there is blood in your urine, it can turn pale yellow or pink, red, brown, brownish-red, or tea-coloured. But when the urine colour does not change, or in the case of microscopic haematuria, only the signs and symptoms can detect it.

Signs And Symptoms Of Haematuria

Haematuria or blood in urine may or may not show symptoms. But when the symptoms start to show, they can be moderate to severe. Some of the underlying causes that answer ‘why blood in urine?’ with their additional symptoms include:

• Bladder infection: The condition causes burning pain while urinating and is one of the most common answers to ‘why is there blood in urine.’ While older children show symptoms such as fever and burning and pain while urinating, infants may have a fever, feed poorly and get irritated quickly.
• Kidney Stone: Pelvic or abdominal pain is the most common symptom of kidney stone.
• Kidney infection: Symptoms include fever, chills, and pain in the lower back.
• Kidney disease: The condition shows symptoms such as puffiness around the eye area, high blood pressure, body swelling, and weakness.
• Kidney cancer: Loss of appetite, fatigue, weight loss, pain in one side are the symptoms of kidney cancer.

Haematuria is a symptom of a medical condition. To evaluate why blood in urine is posing as a symptom, your doctor will conduct various tests and look for the cause.

Why Does Blood Come In Urine? The Causes!

There are several answers to ‘why blood comes in urine?’ and the most common causes include the following.

• Kidney or bladder infections, kidney diseases, kidney stones, kidney cancer as mentioned above
• Vigorous exercise
• Certain medication that includes heparin, penicillin, aspirin, and cyclophosphamide
• Inherited diseases such as cystic kidney disease or sickle cell anaemia
• Bladder stone
• Urinary tract infection
• Prostate cancer or enlarged prostate
• Tumour in the kidney, prostate or bladder
• Trauma that causes an injury to the kidney

If you see blood in urine, do not be alarmed, it may be caused by red pigment from food sources such as beetroot, food dye, or even medication. But if the problem persists, you must consult with a doctor.

How Is Blood In Urine Diagnosed?

When you witness blood in urine, your doctor will start by reviewing your medical history, your family medical condition, and the medications you take to analyse the condition. Your doctor may recommend a urinalysis where you will be asked for a urine sample. The lab technician will look for unusual cells using a microscope, and the test is called Cytology. A blood test may be needed to diagnose the problem further.

Some of the other tests that help to answer the question ‘why blood in urine?’ include

• Kidney Ultrasound: It uses sound waves to create a picture of the kidney and, in turn, aid in detecting various problems.
• CT scan: It is a kind of X-ray scan that helps detect tumours, stones, and various other problems in the bladder, urinary tract, and kidney.
• Renal biopsy: Renal biopsy or Kidney biopsy includes the process of detecting signs of kidney disease by looking at a sample of the kidney tissue using a microscope.

Blood in the urine is treated based on the cause of the condition. Your doctor will recommend a repeat test to check if the blood is gone. But if the problem persists, you will be asked to consult with a nephrologist or a urologist.