When the urine is red or pink this could be linked to blood in the urine and is called “gross” or “visible” hematuria. Sometimes, blood is in the urine but is not easily seen and it is called “microscopic” hematuria since it can only be seen under a microscope.

During routine visits to your health care provider, you are often asked to give a urine sample for testing. For treatment for gross hematuria many tests are done routinely, like checking for sugar (diabetes), bacteria (infection) and blood. Blood might be found either using a chemical strip (called a dipstick) or under a microscope. There are many causes for blood in the urine like –

Urinary infection
Enlarged Prostate in older men
Kidney or bladder stones
Period in women
Prostate infection
Kidney disease
Kidney trauma
Bladder cancer (mostly in smokers)
Kidney cancer
Cancer of the lining of the urinary tract
Anti-swelling drugs (joint swelling and pain pills)
Tough workout

In case of kidney infection peeing blood, health care providers want to make sure there is not a serious health issue involved such as a tumor in the kidney, urinary tract or bladder. Urological cancers are rarely the cause of blood in the urine but can be life threatening.

The goals of testing are two-fold. The first is to determine if there is an abnormality of the bladder and the second is to evaluate the upper urinary tract (kidneys, ureters which are the tubes that carry the urine to the bladder). A cystocope is used to look at the bladder. This visual check of the bladder is done with a fiber optic camera. The upper urinary tracts are reviewed with imaging such as an ultrasound or CT scan.

Most patients with blood in the urine do not have major problems. In fact, for many, a cause is not known. In those patients with a more serious condition, finding this early can be lifesaving. It is of great value to get tested and not ignore these findings especially if blood is seen in our urine.

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Address: Fort Myers Urology, 4571 Colonial Blvd., Suite 110, Fort Myers, FL 33966