Red cells and chemical blood screening
Biomarker library
Urinalysis
Urine red blood cells
Red blood cells in urine (haematuria) may be visible, turning urine pink or red, or found only on testing.
Measured in your health assessment, with a doctor to explain your result. Book yours
Why it matters
Small amounts are common and often harmless, but blood can come from anywhere in the urinary tract, from the kidneys to the bladder, so persistent findings are checked.
What a result can mean
Lower than the range
None is the normal result.
Higher than the range
Causes include urine infections, kidney stones, vigorous exercise, a period contaminating the sample, an enlarged prostate and kidney inflammation, and less commonly cancers of the bladder or kidney, particularly in older people and smokers.
What can help
A positive dipstick is usually repeated, avoiding exercise and periods. Persistent blood, especially if it is visible or you are older, is investigated by a doctor, sometimes with a scan or a camera test of the bladder.
Read it with
NoteGeneral educational illustration. Colours, sizes and movement are simplified. This is not a scan or a simulation of your body. General information, not personal medical advice: a doctor reads your own results with your history.
Know your urine red blood cells.
Measured in your health assessment and explained by the doctor who reviews your results.