Hematuria: How to Care for Your Child

Hematuria (hee-ma-TUR-ee-uh) is when there's blood in the urine (pee). Blood in the urine often comes from somewhere in the urinary tract, which includes the kidneys, bladder, ureters (tube-like structures that connect the kidneys to the bladder), and the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body).

The blood may make the pee look pink, red, or tea-colored. Other times it looks normal, and blood is only seen when a urine sample is viewed under a microscope. This is called "microscopic hematuria."

Tests can help the health care provider find the cause of the hematuria.

• Give your child any recommended medicine as instructed.

• Depending on the cause of the hematuria, the health care provider may recommend changes in diet or fluid intake. 

• Help your child prepare for any medical tests by explaining them in simple terms.

Your child:

• needs to pee a lot or it hurts to pee

• gets new symptoms like fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting

• has pain in the belly, side, or back

• gets a rash

• has blood in the stool (poop) or bleeding from the gums

• gets swollen or painful joints, face, belly, or legs

• starts getting headaches

• has blood clots or increasing amounts of blood in the urine

• was found to have microscopic hematuria, but later has pee with blood that you can see

Your child:

• has bleeding from the gums, nose, or a cut that won't stop

• has trouble peeing

• has increasing or severe pain

• is vomiting and can't keep liquids down

• has trouble breathing

What causes hematuria? Common causes include urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones, irritation of the urethra, injuries, and vigorous exercise. Less commonly, it can happen because of kidney disease, sickle cell disease, blood clotting disorders, and some types of medicine. Sometimes hematuria happens with no clear cause or underlying problem.

What tests are done for hematuria? To look for the cause of the hematuria, the health care provider may order urine tests, blood tests, an ultrasound, a CT scan, or other tests.