Page 6 - Urological Health

Top 17 Questions in Urology

Dr. Mike Leveridge
Assistant Professor, Departments of Urology and Oncology
Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

In this chapter, we’ll go over common health problems in urology.

1. What does blood in my urine mean?

It can certainly be alarming to be told by your doctor that there is blood in your urine (also called
hematuria) after giving a sample. Even more alarming is the actual sight of the blood. Blood is a very
strong pigment and it can look like a large amount is in the toilet, even though there may be very little.

The presence of blood in the urine that you cannot see, but is found on urine tests, is called
microscopic hematuria. Visible blood is known as gross hematuria.

Blood can come from any part of your urinary tract, from the small tubules in the kidney, through
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the ureters, the bladder, the prostate in men, to the very end of the urinary passage (the urethra).
The questions you will be asked and the investigations that are recommended are geared to finding
out where the blood may be coming from. Often, however, no clear cause is found even after all of
these tests – this should nonetheless be reassuring that nothing very worrisome is happening.

Some causes of blood in the urine:
• Urinary stones (even if you have no symptoms)
• Urinary tract infection or inflammation

• Injuries to the urinary tract (blunt trauma to the kidneys or urinary tract, or as subtle as a
small amount of blood escaping after vigorous exercise)

• Benign enlargement of the prostate, very common in men
• Radiation therapy (if you have had radiation for cancers in the pelvis)
• Cancers of the urinary tract (bladder, kidney, prostate)

The most worrisome cause of hematuria is a tumour or cancer of the urinary tract. These are most
commonly found in the bladder, but kidney and prostate cancers can also cause bleeding.

If you have blood in your urine, urinary tract cancers are not common, but you should be tested
to rule them out, since the blood is often the only sign of the tumour. Bladder cancers often do not have
a clear cause, but smoking is a very common cause and some occupational exposures are linked as
well. Please see the Bladder Cancer chapter for more information.

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