If you look in the toilet bowl and see pink or red, you’re probably at least a little concerned. It’s always unsettling to discover blood in your urine.
While blood in your urine could be caused by a simple infection, it’s important to talk to a doctor if you spot it. Our team of expert providers at Vascular & Interventional Associates in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, helps people throughout northern Kentucky and in Cincinnati, Ohio. We can figure out what’s causing the blood in your urine and determine what treatment is necessary.
To help you start down that path, we’ve compiled a list of possible causes of blood in your urine, medically known as hematuria.
A kidney stone can cause blood in your urine, as can kidney injuries and kidney disease. Glomerulonephritis, inflammation in the small filters within your kidneys, can cause hematuria, for example.
Blood in your urine is also a key warning sign of kidney cancer. Because kidney cancer usually doesn’t present symptoms early on, it’s important that you see a doctor right away if you notice blood in your urine. Getting treatment as early as possible makes a major difference when it comes to your outcome.
Fortunately, our board-certified team has extensive experience diagnosing and treating kidney cancer. If you do have kidney cancer, we’ll be alongside you every step of the way.
Hematuria often accompanies urinary urgency and frequency, as well as trouble urinating, in men with an enlarged prostate. If you’ve noticed changes when emptying your bladder, don’t hesitate to talk to our prostate specialists. We can diagnose an enlarged prostate and offer a variety of treatment options.
In some cases, UTIs can cause hematuria. If a burning sensation occurs when you urinate — one of the top symptoms of a urinary tract infection — and it’s accompanied by blood in your urine, a UTI may be the explanation.
Specific medications can cause blood in your urine, including:
If you notice hematuria after you start taking a new medication, talk to your doctor right away.
In rare cases, strenuous exercise can cause blood in your urine. This exercise-induced hematuria most commonly occurs in runners.
Researchers haven’t pinpointed the exact cause of this, but it could result from dehydration or your bladder walls colliding if you run with an empty bladder. Visit our team if you notice blood in your urine after a hard workout so we can rule out other health concerns.
Hematuria is not something to ignore. To get the diagnosis and treatment you need, call Vascular & Interventional Associates, or book your appointment with us online.
