Blood In Urine (Hematuria)

Seeing blood in your urine can cause more than a little anxiety. Yet blood in urine — known medically as hematuria — isn't always a matter for concern. Strenuous exercise can cause blood in urine, for instance. So can a number of common drugs, including aspirin. But urinary bleeding can also indicate a serious disorder.


Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Blood in urine caused by exercise usually goes away on its own within one or two days, but other problems often require medical care.

The urinary tract is made up of your bladder, your two kidneys and two ureters, and the urethra. The kidneys remove waste and excess fluid from your blood and convert it to urine. The urine then flows through two hollow tubes (ureters) — one from each kidney — to your bladder, where urine is stored until it passes out of your body through the urethra.


  • Medications. Common drugs that can cause visible urinary blood include aspirin, penicillin, the blood thinner heparin and the anti-cancer drug cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan).


In many cases, you can have blood in your urine that's visible only under a microscope (microscopic hematuria).


  • Urine tests. Even if your bleeding was first discovered through urine testing (urinalysis), you're likely to have another test to see if your urine still contains red blood cells. Hematuria that occurs just once usually doesn't need further evaluation. Urinalysis can also help determine if you have a urinary tract infection or are excreting minerals that cause kidney stones.


Hematuria has no specific treatment. Instead, your doctor will focus on the underlying condition:

  • Urinary tract infection. Antibiotics are the standard treatment for urinary tract infections. Symptoms usually subside a few days after you start taking medication, but recurring infections may need multiple or longer therapies.
  • Kidney stones. You may be able to pass a kidney stone by drinking large amounts of water and staying active. Talk to your doctor about an appropriate amount of fluids for you. If this doesn't work, your doctor is likely to try more-invasive measures. These include a procedure that uses shock waves to break the stone into small pieces (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy) and, in some cases, surgery to remove the stone.
  • Enlarged prostate. Treatments for an enlarged prostate seek to reduce symptoms and restore normal functioning of the urinary tract. All are effective to varying degrees, and all have some drawbacks. Medications are usually tried first, and they provide long-term relief for many men. When medications don't help, minimally invasive treatments using heat, lasers or sound waves to destroy excess prostate tissue may be tried.
  • Kidney disease. Many kidney problems often require treatment. No matter what the underlying cause, the goal is to relieve inflammation and limit further damage to your kidneys.
  • Cancer. Though there are a number of treatment options for kidney and bladder cancer, surgery to remove cancerous tissue is often the first choice because the cells are relatively resistant to radiation and most types of chemotherapy. The primary treatment for bladder cancer is surgical resection or complete removal of the bladder. In some cases, surgery may be combined with chemotherapy. In others, the immune system in the bladder is boosted with medications.
  • Inherited disorders. Treatments for inherited disorders that affect the kidneys vary greatly. Benign familial hematuria usually doesn't require treatment, for instance, whereas people with severe Alport syndrome may eventually need dialysis — an artificial means of removing waste products from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to do so. Sickle cell anemia is treated with medications, blood transfusions or, in the best-case scenario, a bone marrow transplant.

Although many cases of hematuria aren't serious, it's important to see your doctor any time you notice blood in your urine. Keep in mind that some medications, such as the laxative Ex-lax, and certain foods, including beets, rhubarb and berries, can cause your urine to turn red. A change in urine color caused by drugs, food or exercise usually goes away within a few days. However, you can't automatically attribute red or bloody urine to medications or exercise, so it's best to see your doctor anytime you see blood in your urine.


  • Urinary tract infections. Drinking plenty of water, urinating when you feel the urge and as soon as possible after intercourse, wiping from front to back after urination, and avoiding irritating feminine hygiene products may reduce your risk of urinary tract infections.
  • Kidney stones. To help lower the likelihood of kidney stones, drink lots of water and limit salt, protein and oxalate-containing foods, such as spinach and rhubarb.
  • Bladder cancer. Stopping smoking, avoiding exposure to chemicals and drinking plenty of water can cut your risk of bladder cancer.
  • Kidney cancer. To help prevent kidney cancer, stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthy diet, stay active, and avoid exposure to toxic chemicals.

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Capital Nephrology Medical Group

333 University Av., Suite 120

Sacramento, CA 95825

Tel: 916-929-8546

Fax: 916-929-4529

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