Blood in your urine

Blood present in your urine is called haematuria. It may be obvious when this happens as it will cause your urine to be coloured red or pink. But if small amounts of blood are leaked, the urine may just look cloudy.

Blood stained urine is often caused by an infection of the "waterworks" or urinary tract.

But blood can also leak from an abnormality situated anywhere along the path urine travels from the kidney including the ureters - which carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder, the prostate in men and the urethra which carries urine from the bladder to the exterior.

Blood stained urine should never be ignored and must always be reported to your GP. Investigations may include scans and special X rays where dyes outline the urinary tract and its blood vessels. Cystoscopy involves looking directly into the bladder, via the urethra.

This article was published on Mon 7 February 2011