Red-colored urine as a sign of illness

The signs and characteristics of hematuria are determined by the underlying disease that causes red urine. Symptoms of red urine are a clearly visible change in the color of urine. The most common complaints of patients related to hematuria are:

• Morning urine excretion is accompanied by a burning sensation and pain, which indicates the presence of an inflammatory process of bacterial etiology.
• Red urine is released at the very beginning of the act, indicating the initial form of hematuria and the localization of the pathological process in the initial zone of the urethra.
• Urine changes color to red or pink at the end of urination. This is a terminal form of hematuria and a symptom of inflammation of either the prostate or a chronic pathological process in the cervix vesicae (bladder neck).
• Total hematuria is red urine throughout the entire act of urination. A possible sign of inflammation of the bladder walls, ureters, pelvis renalis, and renal cortex.
• A red tint to urine and pain (in the abdomen, back, radiating upward or to the groin) are a clear sign of urate nephrolithiasis (uric acid crisis), kidney stone disease.
• Hematuria that is not accompanied by pain, is not associated with food intake or physical activity, is long-term and persistent, and can be a formidable symptom of a tumor process.

Red urine is a sign of illness

Clinical symptoms of red urine are determined in this way:

• General complaints of the patient: urine changes color to pink, brown, dark red.
• Red urine combined with pain is an indication of the presence of stones, cystitis or a tumor process in the terminal stage.
• Small blood clots are clearly visible in the urine - a sign of bleeding from the ureteral vessels.
• Blood fragments in the form of “worms” are visible in the urine - a sign of inflammation of the upper urinary tract.
• Shapeless, rather large blood clots in the urine are one of the symptoms of acute inflammation of the bladder.
• Repeated, recurring appearance of red urine is a clear symptom of the presence of a tumor in the urinary system.

When you need to see a doctor, what symptoms should alert you:

1. Red urine is not accompanied by pain. This condition lasts for several days, more than 5-7 days and can be the first signal indicating the development of a tumor process.
2. Urine with a red-brown tint may be a symptom of renal bleeding (upper section).
3. Scarlet urine is a sign of urolithiasis, inflammation in the lower part of the urinary system, in the urethra.
4. Blood clots in urine are an alarming symptom that should be a reason for urgent examination and initiation of adequate therapy.
5. Red shades of urine combined with pain and colic may indicate infectious inflammation of the kidneys or glomerulonephritis.
6. Burning, pain when urinating – cystitis or prostate disease in men.
7. Frequent urge to urinate, red urine, elevated body temperature – inflammation of infectious etiology in the urinary tract (or prostatitis in men).
8. Red urine combined with swollen joints is a sign of autoimmune processes.
9. Swelling of the face, feet, hands and red urine are possible symptoms of glomerulonephritis in the acute stage.

Symptoms of red urine should not be considered harmless, nor should one panic excessively about it. A single occurrence of colored urine may be a transient functional condition. Recurrence of this symptom, discomfort, and accompanying painful symptoms are a good reason to see a doctor and undergo a comprehensive examination.

Quite often, hematuria (the presence of red blood cells in the urine) does not manifest itself with clinical signs; microhematuria is detected during a routine medical examination or during treatment of a disease not directly related to red urine. Therefore, it is important to know what the first signs of the disease are, to distinguish the symptoms and to understand when to see a doctor, and when to simply give the body a rest or change eating habits for a while (false hematuria).

The first signs that should alert you and be a reason to visit a urologist, nephrologist, or therapist:

1. A nagging pain in the lower abdomen, not caused by food intake, that does not go away within 2-3 hours.
2. Pain in the lateral abdomen, lower back, aching or spasmodic in nature.
3. Disruption of the urination process (scanty discharge, urination with burning or pain).
4. Urine of an atypical color, not caused by the consumption of beets, grapes, cranberries and other products that can temporarily change the shade of urine.
5. Blood clots in urine. Even a single appearance of them should alert a person and serve as a reason for undergoing an examination.
6. The urge to urinate without actually doing so.
7. Retention of urine for more than 10-12 hours.
8. Nausea accompanied by increased blood pressure, back or abdominal pain.
9. Periodic urinary incontinence.
10. Severe persistent swelling - face, legs.
11. Urine and feces are red.

The first signs may be barely noticeable, however, any atypical discomfort, pain symptom in combination with an atypical urine color should signal the onset of the disease. Self-medication in such situations is a risk of losing time and allowing the pathological process to develop.

Urine and stool are red

Feces that are simultaneously colored in red shades are an alarming signal. Red urine and feces can be a sign of a normal physiological state in isolated cases, most often after active consumption of beets in any of its variations - boiled, raw, stewed. Also, red urine and feces occur after prolonged consumption of tomatoes, burgundy fruits. It is enough to "sit" for 2-3 days on a beet or tomato diet, and the excrement will immediately change color indicators. These conditions are considered transient and do not require treatment.

Pathological factors that provoke redness of stool are the following diseases:

• Thrombosis of hemorrhoidal veins (hemorrhoids).
• GU - gastric ulcer.
• Peptic ulcer of the duodenum.
• Oncological process in the rectum.
• Rectal polyps.
• Damage to rectum tissue (cracks).
• Diverticulitis.
• Glomerulonephritis.
• Prostate tumor.
• Stones in the ureter.

The listed reasons rarely signal themselves by a simultaneous change in the color of feces and urine, rather the bleeding of one of the processes intersects with the discharge. For example, with hemorrhoids, blood mixes with urine and feces, or with hematuria of urolithiasis, blood clots color the feces.

In urological practice, both red urine and red feces are considered one of the signs of the terminal stage of the oncological process in the rectum with metastases to the bladder.

For other reasons for the appearance of red urine, read this article.

Changes in urine parameters, red urine - this is a clinical symptom, not a disease. Consequences and complications are mostly described as a negative prognosis of the identified underlying disease that provokes hematuria. About 30-35% of cases of urine color changes are diagnosed as a transient condition - pseudohematuria, associated with the intake of products containing plant pigments, intense physical activity or medication. True hematuria is a really serious symptom indicating the development of a pathological process or its advanced, terminal stage.

In what situations can the consequences and complications be negative:

• Age over 55 years and concomitant persistent microhematuria, especially in older men.
• Total macrohematuria (risk of blood loss, development of anemia, ARF – acute renal failure).
• Persistent hypertension.
• A complex of combined alarming symptoms – chronic pain syndrome, asthenia, swelling, constant subfebrile body temperature, sweating.

The most negative prognosis is when tumor processes are detected, accompanied by red urine. The consequences depend on the stage of the disease, the specifics of the oncopathology.

Consequences

The most dangerous consequences and complications are associated with the following nosologies:

• Pathological condition of the renal artery - aneurysma.
• AML - acute myelogenous leukemia.
• Renal cancer, carcinoma.
• Consequences of acute glomerulonephritis are acute renal failure, HUS - hemolytic uremic syndrome, blindness, strokes, AHF - acute heart failure, angiospastic encephalopathy (eclampsia).

Such complex conditions and diseases are easier to prevent than to undergo long and persistent treatment, hoping for recovery. Early detection of diseases, timely visits to a doctor, careful and attentive attitude to your own health - a guarantee of minimizing the risk of complications and negative prognoses.

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