Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
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 Aug. 2, 2011.
- Rose BD, et al. Evaluation of hematuria in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 1, 2011.
- Margulis V, et al. Assessment of hematuria. Medical Clinics of North America. 2011;95:153.
- Sandhu KS, et al. Gross and microscopic hematuria: Guidelines for obstetricians and gynecologists. Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey. 2009;64:39.
- Jimbo M. Evaluation and management of hematuria. Primary Care Clinics in Office Practice. 2010;37:461.
- 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 Aug. 1, 2011.
- Urinary tract infections: What you need to know. National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDiseases/pubs/uti_ES/index.aspx. Accessed Aug. 2, 2011.
- Hematuria (blood in the urine). National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDiseases/pubs/hematuria/. Accessed Aug. 2, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on