I have blood in my urine

Should we be worried?

The presence of blood in the urine (hematuria) can be impressive, as a small amount of blood is enough to colour the liquid. Generally, blood loss is less important than we think. However, they should not be trivialized: consultation is necessary. When the urine is slightly diluted dark red, if clots or pain appear, consult urgently.

Where did it come from?

Blood can come from different organs of the urinary system. The causes of bleeding are multiple – from benign pathologies to malignant tumours – including:

• Urinary infection.
• Renal or urinary stones.
• Enlargement of the prostate gland.
• Cancer of the prostate, kidney, bladder or urinary tract.
• Kidney diseases.
• Internal organ damage (trauma).

Anticoagulant drugs sometimes trigger bleeding in the urinary system. Radiotherapy can also cause bleeding from the bladder. For some people, intense sport also causes blood loss in the urine, but this is not a concern.

What does the urologist do?

First, the doctor interviews the patient to find associated factors. If there are burns during urination, it is probably a urinary infection, whereas in the case of a recent fall, it will be more of a trauma.

To determine the origin of the bleeding, the urologist may perform the following tests:

• An endoscopic examination of the bladder.
• An abdominal scan to see the entire urinary system.

The primary objective of these tests is to detect possible cancer early. Once the cause of the bleeding has been found, the treatment adapted to the pathology will be implemented.