There are several reasons why the urine may look red or reddish-brown, for example, that you have eaten beets or that menstrual blood has come. But it may also be because the urine itself contains blood. Sometimes you may need treatment.
Blood in the urine can depend on various things
The most common causes of blood in the urine are urinary tract infection and kidney stones. Another cause may be kidney disease, for example. It may also be due to a tumor in the urinary tract.
You can also get blood in the urine if you have exerted a lot of physical effort or have had a blow to the kidney. Then it goes quickly and is usually harmless.
If there is only a small amount of blood in the urine it is usually not visible, but it is detected in a urine test. The reasons why it has leaked small amounts of blood to the urine are usually slight irritations in the urethra, bladder or prostate.
It happens that children have blood in the urine, but this is not so common.
The urine is usually yellow, lighter or darker depending on how much you have been drinking.
The urine may become red in color if you have eaten beets or taken any medicine containing red dyes.
When and where should I seek care?
If you have visible blood in your urine, contact a health care center as soon as possible. This is true even if you take so-called blood thinners, such as Warren or medicines belonging to the NOAK group.
If it is a weekend, you can wait until it is every day. You can contact many receptions by logging in.
Urine blood tests
If you have blood in the urine, you may need to submit some samples, primarily urine samples and sometimes even blood samples.
Sometimes you may also undergo other investigations. For example, it may be cystoscopy, when the bladder is examined with a special instrument, and computed tomography, which is a special form of x-ray.
Treatment for blood in the urine
Blood in the urine is treated differently depending on what causes it. Sometimes you don’t need any treatment. But if it is due to, for example, urinary tract infection, it is usually treated with antibiotics.
Kidney stones usually come out of themselves with the urine, but if the stones are large, treatment may be needed. Read more about kidneys and urinary tract.
You should understand the information
In order for you to be involved in your care and treatment of blood in the urine, it is important that you understand the information you receive from the healthcare staff. Ask questions if you don’t understand. For example, you should receive information about treatment options and how long you may have to wait for care and treatment.