Blood in the urine (Haematuria)

Common causes of blood in urine

These include:

a bladder infection (such as cystitis) which typically also causes a burning pain when you urinate
a kidney infection which may also cause a high temperature and pain in the side of your tummy
kidney stones which may be painless, but can sometimes block one of the tubes coming from your kidneys and cause severe tummy pain
urethritis inflammation of the tube that carries urine out of the body (urethra); it's often caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia
an enlarged prostate gland this is a common condition in older men and nothing to do with prostate cancer; an enlarged prostate gland will press on the bladder andmay also cause problems such as difficulty urinating and a frequent need to urinate
bladder cancer this usually affects adults aged over 50 and can also cause you to urinate more often and more urgently, as well as pain when urinating
kidney cancer this also usually affects adults aged over 50, and can cause persistent pain below your ribs and a lump in your tummy
prostate cancer this is usually only seen in men aged over 50 and usually progresses very slowly; other symptoms can include needing to urinate more frequently and urgently, and difficulty emptying your bladder

You can read more about these conditions by clicking on the above links.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for blood in the urine (haematuria)

Introduction

Finding blood in your urine can be very frightening and must be investigated by a doctor, but it's not usually a sign of anything life-threatening.

Is there definitely blood inyour urine?

Before you read on, it's worth considering whether you have recently eaten beetroot, as this can colour the urine pink and cause unnecessary alarm. Some medicines, such as the antibiotics nitrofuranto

Common causes of blood in urine

These include: a bladder infection (such as cystitis) which typically also causes a burning pain when you urinate a kidney infection which may also cause a high temperature and pain in the side o

Seeing your GP

Your GP will ask about your symptoms and carry out a physical examination to help determine the cause of the blood in your urine. For men, this may include a rectal examination and women may have a v

Referral to a specialist

Your GP should refer you urgently to a specialistif any of the following apply: you have visible blood in your urine and no pain, and tests show there is no infection you are 40 or over and keep ge

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