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.