The causes of red urine are very diverse - from serious diseases to harmless cases. Blood cells (red blood cells), foods, drugs, toxins can stain it red or pink.
So why is urine red?
Very often, the red color is due to impurities of blood, which can appear in the urine for numerous reasons. This condition is called hematuria in medicine. Microhematuria is distinguished when blood is not visible to the naked eye, and macrohematuria if blood is visible. With macrohematuria, the color of urine can vary from pinkish to deep red.
Most often, red urine is associated with pathologies of the urinary system. The blood in it is a very alarming symptom and requires a quick visit to a doctor. As a rule, bloody impurities are caused by quite serious diseases.
With diseases of the urinary system, urine can be colored only at the beginning of urination, only at the end or all of it. It depends on which organ it flows from. This is also indicated by the shape of blood clots. If urine is red throughout urination, the blood source can be in any organ of the urinary system.
Blood can come from the kidney in case of organ injury, the presence of stones, infectious lesions, a blood clot in the kidney - embolism, tumors of various origins. Stones and inflammation cause pain, and tumor kidney diseases are usually painless.
Ureters can become a source of blood. Usually this occurs during the movement of a stone, which moves slowly, periodically stops and irritates the walls of the ducts. Such bleeding is accompanied by severe pain.
Bleeding can occur in the bladder as a result of the formation of polyps, benign and malignant tumors, with infections, such as cystitis. Red urine with cystitis and other inflammations is accompanied by pain, and with polyps and tumors there is no pain. With cystitis, severe bleeding is possible, accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the lower abdomen and pain when urinating. If the bladder is the source of bleeding , then blood in the urine appears at the end of urination.
The urethra can also bleed . This happens with infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted infections. It is possible that the channel is damaged when a catheter is inserted into it. In such cases, blood appears at the very beginning of urination.
Red urine appears in men as a result of stagnation of blood in the prostate gland, which happens with inflammatory processes and pathological enlargement of this organ.
Blood can leave through the urine from any organ with pathologies of its coagulability caused by various reasons.
In women, blood in the urine can come from the genitals directly during urination. This happens during menstruation and with various gynecological diseases.
Some products can stain urine in pink or red, namely: beets, rhubarb, blackberries.
It becomes reddish after taking laxatives of herbal remedies. Urine turns red from phenolphthalein, which is part of many laxatives. The same effect is given by blood thinners. Red urine appears from drugs such as Thioridazine, Chlorpromazine, and Propofol.
Chronic poisoning with toxic substances leads to reddening of urine. This can occur with lead and mercury intoxications.
If a symptom such as red urine appears, then you should definitely consult a doctor to establish the cause and further treatment.