{"id":922,"date":"2017-06-27T04:51:52","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T04:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=922"},"modified":"2021-05-13T15:43:07","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T15:43:07","slug":"15-causes-blood-urine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-causes-blood-urine\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Causes of Blood in Your Urine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"There are a number of different symptoms and conditions that can leave you feeling rather concerned. Among these, blood in the urine is one of the most alarming and might lead you immediately to the conclusion that you have a form of cancer.<\/p>\n

The good news (?), is that cancer is only one potential cause for blood in the urine and is not among the most common causes. There are actually many different things that can cause blood in the urine and in this post we are going to look at a wide range of them \u2013 15 to be precise.<\/p>\n

This condition is technically referred to as hematuria and is a common symptom found in a wide range of different conditions. It is therefore premature to jump to any assumptions and instead you should consider what other symptoms are present, as well as risk factors such as age, gender and lifestyle. Whatever the case, if you are unsure or you are worried, then you should always check with your doctor. At the end of the day, it is better to be safe than to be sorry.<\/p>\n

In hematuria, the kidneys or any other part of the urinary tract may be allowing blood cells to leak into the urine. So what might be causing this in your case?<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Urinary Tract Infection<\/h3>\n

A urinary tract infection<\/a> is caused when bacteria enters the urethra and make their way into the bladder. Here they can then multiply and this can cause a number of symptoms.<\/p>\n

Alongside blood in the urine, you might also notice that your urine smells especially strongly, that you have a persistent urge to urinate and that you feel a burning sensation when trying to urinate. You might also notice burning during sexual intercourse.<\/p>\n

However, it is possible in some cases that urinary tract infections can cause no other symptom than tiny amounts of blood, which is when the condition can be alarming.<\/p>\n

\"\"2. \u00a0Kidney Disease<\/h3>\n

Another of the more worrying potential causes of blood in the urine is kidney disease. Here, microscopic urinary bleeding is caused by glomerulonephritis, which in turn is inflammation of the filtering system in the kidneys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This can be a symptom of a systemic disease such as diabetes. In some other cases, it might occur on its own for no obvious reason, or it might be triggered by strep infections, blood vessel diseases (called vasculitis) or immune problems (like IgA nephropathy). Kidney disease can cause a range of other problems so look out for more symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"\"3. \u00a0Enlarged Prostate<\/h3>\n

An enlarged prostate<\/a> describes conditions that cause the prostate gland, found just below the bladder at the top of the urethra, to become enlarged. This might sound like a cause for concern but actually, there are many perfectly innocuous causes of an enlarged prostate and the most likely cause is actually BPH \u2013 benign prostatic hyperplasia.<\/p>\n

While this causes many symptoms such as those described above, it isn\u2019t harmful. However, it might potentially result in the urethra becoming partially or even entirely blocked by the prostate.<\/p>\n

If this should happen, then it may be necessary to seek medical attention and specifically to get surgery to remove or shrink the prostate.<\/p>\n

\"\"4. \u00a0Prostate Infection<\/h3>\n

While an enlarged prostate and resultant blood might be caused by the harmless BPH, it can also be the result of an infection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here, an infection affects the prostate and causes it to become enlarged due to swelling. This can also cause other symptoms such as fever, nausea and lethargy.<\/p>\n

If you suspect that you have an infected prostate, then you should see a doctor and they might prescribe antibiotics to solve the problem.<\/p>\n

\"\"5. \u00a0Bladder Stones<\/h3>\n

Bladder stones<\/a> and kidney stones are caused when the minerals in our body form small, hard stones. These are caused by minerals that attach to the walls of the kidney and bladder and ten become crystalized.<\/p>\n

Bladder stones and kidney stones are not generally painful in the majority of cases. However, they can start to cause issues if they cause a blockage or if they damage the internal organs.<\/p>\n

In the case of a blockage, or when they are being passed, you might notice bleeding in your urine. You should have no difficulty noticing this however as often it will be accompanied by intense pain.<\/p>\n

\"\"6. \u00a0Kidney Injury<\/h3>\n

If you have received a particularly powerful blunt force trauma to your torso, then it is possible that this might result in blood in your urine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This occurs due to damage to the kidneys, often through contact sports. This physically damages the kidney and causes it to bleed internally, which in turn can make its way into your urine.<\/p>\n

If you have received such a powerful blow, then it is a good idea to get yourself checked over to ensure that this is the extent of the damage.<\/p>\n

\"\"7. \u00a0Bladder Injury<\/h3>\n

Just as a kidney injury might cause bleeding in the urine, so too might damage to the bladder<\/a> \u2013 which of course is where urine is stored.<\/p>\n

If anything like this is causing the blood however, then you are likely to have noticed it at the time and you should problem notice other symptoms too \u2013 such as pain when touching the area, pain when bending or exerting yourself and potentially poor function that could manifest as urgency (the need to pee) or other symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"\"8. \u00a0Strenuous Exercise<\/h3>\n

This is a very rare condition but in some cases, intense exercise can actually cause hematuria. It is thought that this might be to do with dramatic dehydration, or perhaps damage to the bladder that goes unnoticed. It could also be due to damage that is caused by the internal organs being jolted violently during activity, or by the breakdown of red blood cells during sustained aerobic exercise<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While this can occur in any kind of exercise, the most common type of athlete to be affected by this condition is runners. It could also be noticed in activities that involve particularly extreme exercise \u2013 such as crossfit which is infamously harsh on the body.<\/p>\n

\"\"9. \u00a0Sickle Cell Anemia<\/h3>\n

Sickle cell anemia<\/a> is a condition that causes a defect of the hemoglobin in red blood cells. This can cause both visible and microscopic hematuria and has a range of other symptoms such as fatigue, anemia (hence the name), severe pain, dactylitis, regular bacterial infections, lung and heart injury and leg ulcers.<\/p>\n

The easier way to ascertain whether sickle cell anemia is responsible for your condition though is to look at your family history. This is a genetic condition and as such, you should find that others in your family experienced the same condition.<\/p>\n

\"\"10. \u00a0Alport Syndrome<\/h3>\n

Alport syndrome<\/a> is once again an inherited disorder and so the easiest way to rule it out is to look into your family history. If you do have Alport syndrome, then this will impact on the filtering membrains in the glomeruli of the kidneys.<\/p>\n

As well as blood in the urine, you might also notice that the urine is an unuaul color and you might notice swelling in the feet, ankles and legs. You may have a loss of vision or impaired vision, flank pain, loss of hearing and swelling around the eyes.<\/p>\n

In general, this condition is fairly easy to identify.<\/p>\n

\"\"11. \u00a0It\u2019s Not Blood\u2026<\/h3>\n

This is rather optimistic but of course there is a good chance that the blood in your urine is not really blood at all. Certain foods can actually cause your urine to change color, as can a range of health conditions and lifestyle<\/a> decisions.<\/p>\n

If you are very dehydrated, then it is more common for your urine to become very dark for example as you haven\u2019t had enough water in your diet to dilute it. Likewise, if you are taking a vitamin tablet that hasn\u2019t been well designed, the your body may have no need for the vitamins and simply be allowing them to pass straight through your body. In that case, your urine is most likely to appear fluorescent yellow.<\/p>\n

But your urine might also appear red if you eat certain things. For example, beetroot, blackberries and rhubarb can all make your urine appear red and all these things might give you a pause.<\/p>\n

And just FYI, your urine can also be green from asparagus, dark yellow from carrots and brown from fava beans or rhubarb!<\/p>\n

\"\"12. \u00a0Trauma<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve discussed how trauma<\/a> to the organs can cause blood to appear in your urine but of course it\u2019s also possible that trauma further down can cause bleeding too.<\/p>\n

For example, if you have been engaging in contact sports and received a blow to the crotch, then you might be bleeding around the urethra and this could simply be making its way into the urine as it passes by.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also possible that bleeding can be caused inside the vagina or around the tip of the penis during particularly vigorous intercourse!<\/p>\n

\"\"13. \u00a0Hemophilia<\/h3>\n

Hemophilia<\/a> is a condition where the body lacks the clotting factors that are normally present in the blood. This means that bleeding can be very hard to stop, as the blood doesn\u2019t coagulate and form scabs.<\/p>\n

At the same time, this can also cause bleeding in unexpected places as the blood is more easily able to pass through walls into surrounding tissue.<\/p>\n

\"\"14. \u00a0Menstrual Bleeding<\/h3>\n

Heavy menstrual bleeding<\/a> can of course cause the appearance of blood in the urine if blood is left behind or if they occur at the same time.<\/p>\n

In particular, this is most likely if you have a condition that affects the nature of your menstrual cycle. For example, if you have menorrhagia, then you can experience heavy and prolonged bleeding that might result in numerous complications.<\/p>\n

\"\"15. \u00a0Cancer<\/h3>\n

Finally, the one that you were afraid of: cancer<\/a>. While this is not the most common cause, it is of course a possibility and bladder cancer, endometrial cancer and prostate cancer can all cause this symptom. This is why it is so important to always get seen by a doctor.<\/p>\n

But remember, there are many other possibilities and there is no reason to panic just yet. It could also be dysfunctional uterine bleeding, medication, aspirin or many other issues that we haven\u2019t been able to list here!<\/p>\n\r\n

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