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Blood in the urine (hematuria): what it looks like, when to get care, and the tests
For anyone who sees pink, red or brown urine, or was told a urine test found blood. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says hematuria means there is blood in your urine, that in most cases blood you can see causes no pain, and that it only takes a small amount of blood to change the color. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: the two types, the reasons people may have blood in the urine and who is more likely to have it, the urine test and the other tests, and how it is treated. It puts first our own rule for when to get care, builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
Right now
- You cannot pee at all, or the blood came after a hard blow, a fall or a crash: go to the emergency room now (ours).
- The person is confused, very hard to wake, fainting, or seems very sick: call 911 (ours). See also our page on sepsis.
- Blood with fever, chills, or pain in your back or side: call a provider today (ours), and see our page on bladder infection.
- Any blood you can see, even if it stopped and does not hurt: call a provider soon (ours). NIDDK’s page on the enlarged prostate says to tell a health care professional right away if you have blood in your urine.
More help
- Related: Bladder infection (UTI) in adults · Kidney stones · Enlarged prostate (BPH) · Kidney disease · Sickle cell disease · When it is cancer · Kidneys, bladder and urine: find the right page.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · My medicines list · Get ready for your appointment · Symptom diary.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder pain, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Simple kidney cysts: what they are, the symptoms, the tests, and when they need treatment: simple kidney cysts (fluid-filled sacs in the kidneys, often found by chance on a scan): what they are, how common, the rare problems, the scans and lab tests, watching, draining, surgery, and how they differ from PKD.
- How the kidneys work: where they are, what they do, the nephrons, and how blood flows through them: how the kidneys work (where they are, what they do, the nephrons, the glomerulus and the tubule, and how blood flows through them): the wastes, the balance of water, salts and minerals, the hormones, the numbers in a day, and the words in plain language.
- Anti-GBM (Goodpasture’s) disease: the signs, when to get help, the tests, and the treatment: anti-GBM disease, also called Goodpasture’s disease (the immune system attacks the kidneys and lungs: coughing up blood, shortness of breath, pink or cola-colored urine, swelling): what it is, who gets it, what may cause it, when to get help right away, the tests, the medicines and plasma exchange, dialysis, and keeping it from coming back.
- Medullary sponge kidney: the signs, the tests, kidney stones and infections, and prevention: medullary sponge kidney, also called Cacchi-Ricci disease (a birth defect with tiny cysts inside the kidneys: kidney stones, urinary tract infections, blood in the urine): what it is, who gets it, the signs and when to call, the imaging tests, treating infections and removing stones, and the medicines, liquids and food that may help prevent the next one.
- Kidney stones in children: the pain and the signs, when to get care right away, the four types, the tests, passing or removing a stone, and preventing the next one: kidney stones in a child or teen: what they are and the four types; how common they are and which children are more likely; the signs, when to get care right away, and what untreated stones can lead to; the urine, blood and imaging tests; passing a small stone or removing a larger one; and preventing the next one with liquids, food and medicine.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 15, 2026 on NIDDK’s Hematuria (Blood in the Urine) page (NIH, last reviewed October 2022), with one line from its Enlarged Prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) page. Ours: calling a provider soon about any blood you can see, even if it stops and does not hurt; calling the same day for fever, chills, or back or side pain; going to the emergency room now if you cannot pee at all, or after a hard blow, a fall or a crash; calling 911 when the person is confused, very hard to wake, fainting or seems very sick; calling or texting 988 for thoughts of suicide; not stopping a blood thinner or any prescribed medicine on your own; that only a provider and tests can say what the cause is; asking whether and when to test again; asking about the cost; and the order of the steps. What we left out: any single medicine, NIDDK’s figure on how often urologists find hematuria, foods or other things that can color urine (NIDDK’s page does not cover them), and clinical pages for providers. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.