Red Urine: Does It Mean I Have Blood In My Urine And I Have A Kidney Problem?

Pink or red urine is often, but not always, a sign that there is blood in your pee. Peeing any color except for the pale to slightly deeper yellow color you have rightly grown to expect might rightly cause you to worry, and you have likely arrived here after Googling possible causes of red urine. 

Rather than making you read to the end to find out that it's quite possible nothing is wrong with you, we'll give it to you straight, right away: your red pee can be caused by quite a few things that don't involve blood in your urine, and even if that is the reason for your abnormal urine color, you need not freak out before you see a doctor, because you usually won't have a serious medical condition. 

Now that we have that bit out the way, we can move on and examine the possible reasons for your pink or red urine. 

Red Urine: Non-Hematuria Causes

Hematuria, or blood in the urine, is one thing that will turn your pee red. It's absolutely not the only one, so let's look at the less scary reasons for red urine first. Abnormal urine colors can be caused by four different factors — foods and liquids, medications and nutritional supplements, your level of hydration, and medical conditions. 

Foods that can turn your urine red include rhubarb, blackberries, and beets. Any foods and drinks that contain artificial red food dyes can do the same thing. If something you ate or drank is responsible for your funny colored pee, rest assured that you'll be all back to normal within a few "sessions", as long as you quit consuming the offending items. Red urine as the result of consuming food and liquids is nothing to worry about, although we ought to note that the definition of a "varied diet" kind of excludes eating the same things day in, day out. Eat something else, already!

Your red urine can also be caused by medications, which you're often stuck with for much longer than specific food items, prolonging your oddly colored problem. If a medication you are taking has the potential to discolor your urine, it should say so on the package insert and your doctor should also be able to provide you with that information. Having said that, here are some of the drugs that are notorious for turning your urine red or pink:

• Rifampin
• Phenazopyridine
• Sulfasalazine
• Phenazopyridine
• Any laxative containing Senna
• Many chemotherapy drugs

Causes Of Blood In Your Urine (Hematuria)

If your urine is red because it contains blood, that blood can come from several sources. They are the kidneys, bladder, and urethra. Let's take a look at the medical conditions that can cause your urine to contain blood. 

Red Urine: Could You Have Cystitis?

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder, usually caused by a common type of urinary tract infection. The symptoms will be very familiar to anyone who has had it before — burning while urinating, a constant feeling of needing to pee without being able to expel much urine, and a nagging but vague pelvic pain. You may also experience feelings of general misery, along with cloudy urine and, in some cases, red urine. 

If your symptoms don't improve within a day or two, you will want to stop by your family doctor to get some antibiotics to clear it up. As always, make sure you do your bit for your health and in the fight against antibiotic resistance by completing your entire course and taking your antibiotics exactly when instructed. 

Red Urine Can Signify A Kidney Problem

Hematuria can also be caused by a number of kidney problems. Cystitis, when left untreated, can develop into a kidney infection — for starters. Other causes of kidney-related red urine are kidney stones (which come with severe pain), and other kidney problems, symptoms of which can include swelling all over the body, hypertension, and feelings of overall weakness. 

Note that kidney disease itself is sometimes a symptom of an underlying medical problem, such as diabetes or hypertension. 

Other Possible Causes Of Red Urine

In men, and especially middle-aged men, red urine can signal that there is a problem with their prostate. Besides hematuria, other symptoms of prostate trouble include difficulty with urinating and the constant feeling that you need to relieve yourself. Prostate cancer is also an option, along with bladder cancer. The symptoms of these cancers do not normally manifest themselves until the disease has reached a more advanced stage. 

Certain hereditary disorders, including sickle cell anemia and Alport syndrome, can also be responsible for hematuria. Sickle cell anemia counts pain, fatigue, inflamed extremities, and leg ulcers among its symptoms, while Alport syndrome is known to cause edema of the limbs and eyes and proteinuria (protein in the urine), which leads to cloudy urine. 

Should You Be Worried?

As you have seen, red urine can be the result of a rather wide variety of different factors. Since you're not able to diagnose yourself and your red urine is more likely than not to be caused by something completely benign, there is no need to freak out when you observe red pee.

When you see your doctor, they will ask you questions about your medical history and the circumstances in which your red urine arose, and will order a urinalysis to figure out what is going on. In some cases, your doctor will also order a CT scan, X-ray, ultrasound, or biopsy.