Maxwell Adeyemi

HEMATURIA, otherwise known as blood in urine, can be scary. In many cases the cause is harmless. But blood in urine also can be a sign of a serious illness.

If you can see the blood with your naked eyes, it's called gross hematuria. Blood that can't be seen with the naked eye is called microscopic hematuria. It's such a small amount that it can be seen only under a microscope when a lab tests the urine. Either way, it's important to figure out the reason for the bleeding.

Symptoms

Blood in the urine can look pink, red or cola-coloured. Red blood cells cause the urine to change colour. It takes only a small amount of blood to turn urine red.

The bleeding often isn't painful, but if blood clots get passed in the urine, it can become painful.

Red urine isn't always caused by red blood cells. Some medicines can cause urine to turn red, such as a medicine that eases urinary tract symptoms. Certain foods can also turn urine red, including beets.

It can be hard to tell whether a change of urine colour is caused by blood. That's why it's always best to get a check-up.

This condition happens when the kidneys or other parts of the urinary tract let blood cells leak into urine. Different problems can cause this leaking to happen, including:

Urinary tract infections. These happen when bacteria get into the tube through which urine leaves the body, called the urethra. Then the bacteria multiply in the bladder. That can cause bleeding that makes urine look red, pink or brown. It may also cause a strong urge to pee that lasts a long time, pain and burning while peeing.

Kidney infection. This type of UTI is also called pyelonephritis. Kidney infections can happen when bacteria enter the kidneys from the bloodstream. Infections can also happen when bacteria move to the kidneys from a pair of tubes that connect the kidneys with the bladder, called the ureters.

Kidney infections can cause the same urine-related symptoms that other UTIs can. But they are more likely to cause a fever and pain in the back, side or groin.

A bladder or kidney stone. The minerals in urine can form crystals on the walls of the kidneys or bladder. Over time, the crystals can become small, hard stones.

The stones are often painless. But they can hurt a lot if they cause a blockage or leave the body through urine. Bladder or kidney stones can cause blood in urine that can be seen with the naked eye as well as bleeding that can be seen only in the lab.

Enlarged prostate. The prostate gland is just below the bladder and it surrounds the top part of the urethra. It often gets bigger toward middle age. It then puts pressure on the urethra, partly blocking the flow of urine. With an enlarged prostate, you might have trouble passing urine, or blood in the urine. Infection of the prostate, called prostatitis, can cause the same symptoms.

Kidney disease. Blood in urine that can be seen only in the lab is a common symptom of a k