Blood in the urine: what are the causes?

Do you observe the presence of blood in your urine? 

Discover the possible causes of hematuria, its consequences, and the treatments available to you.
Blood in the urine, also called hematuria, can be a sign of many diseases of the urinary tract or kidneys. Discover its possible causes, its consequences on your health, and the treatments available to you.

How is the presence of blood in the urine characterized?

Urine is an excellent indicator of our general state of health. Normally, the urine should have a pale yellow color, and not give off too strong an odor. When they turn pink or red, it is generally a sign of bleeding which can be of high origin (kidneys, ureters, etc.) or low (bladder, urethra). Hematuria is most often painless and usually has no other associated symptoms, but it is always a signal that something is wrong, and should therefore prompt you to consult your doctor quickly.

What are the causes of blood in the urine?

The presence of blood in your urine is not always a symptom of a serious illness. Most of the time, hematuria is detected incidentally, and sometimes the blood is not even visible to the naked eye: this is called microscopic hematuria. However, it is not the amount of blood that determines the seriousness of the situation: a severe disorder can cause a little bleeding, and conversely, more important bleeding can be associated with a mild problem. It is therefore important to know the possible causes of this bleeding and to consult a doctor quickly in order to rule out, in any case, a severe pathology.

strenuous exercise

Otherwise known as hematuria of effort, sometimes long-distance runners see blood appear in their urine during an intense effort such as a marathon. This is mainly due to irritation of the bladder due to repeated jerks with each stride. This shaking and rubbing often result in minor bleeding, but it usually goes away on its own after two days of rest.

Some team or contact sports (rugby, football, martial arts, combat sports, etc.) are at risk of more or less violent shocks responsible for internal trauma. If the trauma takes place in the kidneys or the bladder, hematuria may appear following the lesions caused in these organs. It is essential to consult a doctor in the event of post-traumatic haematuria in order to check the condition of the affected organs and to rule out any risk of serious injury.

Cystitis

Cystitis is a urinary tract infection located in the bladder. It is most often due to a bacterium in our digestive tract, Escherichia Coli, which is responsible for 75 to 90% of cases of urinary tract infections. It is very common and particularly affects women: it is estimated that about a third of women are confronted with it during their lifetime. Symptoms of cystitis can include:
burning or pain when urinating;
pain or pressure in the lower abdomen;
a feeling of not being able to stop urinating;
the impossibility of evacuating a lot of urine with each urination;
cloudy urine, giving off an unusual odor and possibly containing blood.

Kidney infection

Pyelonephritis, also called “upper urinary tract infection”, is caused by the same bacteria as cystitis and usually follows it. The symptoms of this disease are the same as those of a urinary tract infection plus fever and back pain. Pyelonephritis is at greater risk of complications for people:
with abnormalities of the urinary tract or having undergone an intervention on the urinary tract;
male (risk of associated prostate infection or prostatitis);
speakers;
elderly;
suffering from immunosuppression (cancer, HIV, kidney transplant, immunosuppressive treatment, etc.);
with chronic kidney disease.

Kidney stones

Kidney stones, also called nephrolithiasis, are the result of the crystallization of mineral salts and acids naturally present in the urine when there are too many of them. The calculation, similar to a small pebble, is of variable size and must be able to be evacuated in the urine. Symptoms that accompany the presence of small kidney stones are usually a frequent urge to urinate, hematuria, nausea, or burning during urination.
Unfortunately, when the stones are too large, they remain blocked in the urinary tract, which causes irritation of the urinary tract and variations in pressure, which in turn cause intense pain on the side of the blocked stone. This is called renal colic.

Prostate disorders
The prostate is a male gland located below the bladder. Cancer, infection, or simply an increase in the volume of the prostate, also called benign prostatic hypertrophy, can be responsible for bleeding in the urine.

Certain cancers
Every year, 11 to 12,000 bladder tumors are detected, and roughly the same number of kidney tumors. Hematuria is one of their main symptoms: it is found in about 90% of patients. These types of cancer affect three to four times more men than women but remain quite rare. People over 40 who use tobacco or are exposed to occupational toxins are most at risk of developing them.

Other cancers can cause the appearance of blood in the urine, but to a lesser extent: certain blood cancers, as well as prostate cancers.

Hereditary glomerulonephritis and nephropathy

Certain kidney diseases, such as Alport syndrome, infantile polycystic disease, cystinuria, or Berger’s disease, can also cause hematuria. However, these diseases are generally accompanied by other symptoms that are quickly identifiable.
Is red urine always synonymous with hematuria?
There are a few other causes that can cause your urine to turn red. Some foods naturally contain red color pigments, such as beets for example. Consumed in large quantities, they are likely to discreetly color the urine.
Drug treatments, such as certain antibiotics, antimalarials, or even certain laxatives, can also lead to the formation of metabolites, a kind of organic waste that, once eliminated by the kidneys, is responsible for pink urine.

Should I be worried if there is blood in the urine?

The presence of blood in your urine is never normal whether it is occasional or repeated. If there is no cause for alarm in most cases, it is however essential to consult a doctor quickly, in order to carry out the necessary additional examinations and to rule out more serious pathology. A general practitioner can test your urine with strips, confirm the presence of blood, establish a diagnosis, and refer you to a urologist if necessary.

What are the examinations to be carried out?

The doctor’s first reflex will be to carry out a precise examination to find an obvious cause or risk factors for hematuria. He can then analyze the content of the urine using a strip in the consulting room or by prescribing a cytobacteriological examination of urine (ECBU) in the laboratory, in order to look for any agent likely to explain the presence of blood. If necessary, imaging of the urinary tract (ultrasound or uroscanner) will be performed to visualize the kidneys and the ureters, which are the channels carrying urine from the kidneys to the bladder. The doctor may also prescribe an exploration of the urethra and the bladder using a mini-camera introduced through the natural orifice. This procedure is called a cystoscopy.

What are the treatments for hematuria?

The treatment of hematuria depends primarily on its cause. Antibiotics will cure an infection, the installation of a urinary catheter may be necessary for the event of obstructive pyelonephritis, surgery may treat cancer, etc.
In case of haematuria, the right attitude to have is not to panic, and to quickly consult your doctor or buy cialis so that he can establish the cause of this bleeding and refer you to a specialist doctor if necessary.

Ressource: https://connect.mbgh.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=de0eb315-5286-4b49-a5d6-aef96fb37813