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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffSeeing blood in your urine can cause more than a little anxiety. Yet blood in urine — known medically as hematuria — isn't always a matter for concern. Strenuous exercise can cause blood in urine, for instance. So can a number of common drugs, including aspirin. But urinary bleeding can also indicate a serious disorder.
There are two types of blood in urine. Blood that you can see is called gross hematuria. Urinary blood that's visible only under a microscope is known as microscopic hematuria and is found when your doctor tests your urine. Either way, it's important to determine the reason for the bleeding.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Blood in urine caused by exercise usually goes away on its own within one or two days, but other problems often require medical care.
- Gerber GS, et al. Evaluation of the urologic patient: History, physical examination, and urinalysis. Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/151836479-3/0/1445/6.html?tocnode=54299533&fromURL=6.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50005-4_96. Accessed July 28, 2009.
- Rose BD, et al. Evaluation of hematuria in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 17, 2009.
- Yun EJ, et al. Evaluation of the patient with hematuria. The Medical Clinics of North America. 2004;88:329.
- Grossfeld GD, et al. Evaluation of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in adults: The American Urological Association best practice policy - Part I: Definition, detection, prevalence, and etiology. Urology. 2001;57:599.
- Grossfeld GD, et al. Evaluation of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in adults: The American Urological Association best practice policy - Part II: Patient evaluation, cytology, voided markers, imaging, cystoscopy, nephrology evaluation, and follow-up. Urology. 2001:57:604.
- McDonald MM, et al. Assessment of microscopic hematuria in adults. American Family Physician. 2006;73:1748.
- Mercieri A. Exercise-induced hematuria. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 17, 2009.
