Blood in Your Urine
Blood in the urine is also called hematuria. This symptom may be caused by several health problems, some of them unrelated to the kidneys. The kidney filters waste materials from the blood and excrete excess fluid and electrolytes as urine. When hematuria is caused by kidney problems, it is usually a sign that the kidney has sustained significant damage such as the destruction of the kidney filters.
Hematuria is a common sign of kidney cancer. The Kidney Cancer Association estimates that this symptom manifests in about 40 to 50 percent [2] of people who have kidney cancer.
The amount of blood present in the urine is very variable and may depend on the stage of the cancer. Sometimes the blood present in the urine is so little it does not alter the color of the urine. In other cases, the volume of blood is large enough to turn the urine red, brown, or pink.
Parasitic infections, kidney stones, trauma to the kidney, and noncancerous kidney disease may also cause hematuria. It is important to check with your doctor if you notice blood in your urine.