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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffAlmost anyone — including children and teens — can have red blood cells in the urine. Factors that make this more likely include:
- Age. Many men older than 50 have occasional hematuria due to an enlarged prostate gland.
- Your sex. More than half of all women will have a urinary tract infection at least once in their lives, possibly with some urinary bleeding. Younger men are more likely to have kidney stones or Alport syndrome, a form of hereditary nephritis that can cause blood in the urine.
- A recent infection. Kidney inflammation after a viral or bacterial infection (postinfectious glomerulonephritis) is one of the leading causes of visible urinary blood in children.
- Family history. You may be more prone to urinary bleeding if you have a family history of kidney disease or kidney stones.
- Certain medications. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers and antibiotics such as penicillin are known to increase the risk of urinary bleeding.
- Strenuous exercise. Long-distance runners are especially prone to exercise-induced urinary bleeding. In fact, the condition is sometimes called jogger's hematuria. But anyone who works out strenuously can develop symptoms.
References
- 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.
