Blood in Urine
(Hematuria)

Medical Authors: Gary D. Steinberg and Mark H. Katz, MD
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

• What is blood in urine (hematuria)?
• What are the causes of blood in urine?
• How is blood in urine diagnosed?
• How is blood in urine treated?
• Blood in Urine At A Glance
• Related blood in urine articles:
  Blood in urine - on WebMD
• Patient Discussions: Blood In Urine - Describe Your Experience

What is blood in urine (hematuria)?

Hematuria means blood in the urine. Microscopic hematuria indicates that the blood is only seen when the urine is examined under a microscope, while gross (or macroscopic) hematuria means that there is enough blood in the urine so that it can be seen with the naked eye. Despite the quantity of blood in the urine being different, the types of diagnoses that can cause the problem are the same, and the workup or evaluation that is needed is identical.

Since blood in the urine must come from one of the organs involved in making or transporting the urine, the evaluation of hematuria requires that we consider the entire urinary tract. This organ system includes the kidneys, ureters (the tubes that carry the urine from the kidneys to the bladder), bladder, prostate, and urethra (the tube transporting urine out of the bladder). It must be emphasized that even a single episode of hematuria requires evaluation, even if it resolves spontaneously.

What are the causes of blood in urine?

There are multiple causes of blood in urine. Some are serious, including cancers, trauma, stones, infections, and obstructions of the urinary tract. Others are less important and may require no treatment. These may include viral infections, nonspecific inflammations of the kidney, medications which thin the blood's clotting ability, and benign prostate enlargement.

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