UrgentEmergency Guide
Blood in urine: Red Flags & Emergency Signs
Painless haematuria (blood in urine without pain) is bladder cancer until proven otherwise — do not dismiss as UTI without investigation.
🚨 Call 999 / 112 Immediately
- ⚠Haematuria with loin pain and fever — pyelonephritis or renal abscess
- ⚠Haematuria with very little urine output and oedema — acute glomerulonephritis (renal emergency)
⚡ See a Doctor Today
- •Painless haematuria in anyone over 45 — urgent urology referral (2-week wait)
- •Microscopic haematuria on two consecutive dipsticks in a non-menstruating patient
- •Haematuria in a patient on anticoagulation — does not exclude cancer; investigate regardless
High-Risk Combinations
When blood in urine occurs together with any of these symptoms, urgency increases significantly:
Conditions to Rule Out Urgently
Bladder Cancerurgent
CT urogram + cystoscopy; 2-week wait urology referral
Renal Cell Carcinomaurgent
Renal USS + CT; urology referral
Glomerulonephritisurgent
Urine protein:creatinine ratio; renal biopsy; nephrology referral
Condition Authority Pages
Differential diagnosis analyses:
When to Call Emergency Services
- →Blood in urine with inability to urinate (clot retention)
- →Haematuria with severe loin pain, fever, and rigors (urosepsis)