Blood in Urine (hematuria) – symptoms, causes and treatment

Symptoms

Blood appears in the urine. Blood in the urine shows a smoky sediment, and is reddish brown. Urine may be slightly smoky, reddish, or very red.

Causes

Red, or reddish, urine may be due to blood in the urine, known as hematuria, and to senna or rhubarb, which may color the urine either brown or orange.
If the blood is well-mixed with the urine, it is probably from the kidneys. If it is clotted in tubular casts of ureters, it is from kidneys or ureters. If its is passed at the beginning of urination, it is from the urethra; if at the end, it is from the bladder.
Bleeding from the kidneys produces smoky urine, which may be bright red. Bleeding from the urethra isalways bright red, and precedes urination. Bleeding from the urine vesicle produces bright red urine, which is not uniform.

Other causes of blood in urine can be a lesion of the urinary tract, contamination during menstruation, prostatic disease, tumors, poisoning (especially carbolic acid and cantharides), malaria, toxemias, and calculus (kidney stones).

Treatment

• Apply a very cold water spray to the perineum.

• Read the other sections, below, in this urinary section, on urine, kidneys, and bladder.