The Student Room Group

Can a cold virus cause blood in the urine?

I had an episode of blood in my urine a while ago (gross haematuria) it varied from red/brown/black colour. It started 2 days after I felt unwell/offish I had a bit of stomach pain, felt very tired and slept a lot over 2 days. Then I noticed the blood in the urine which persisted for 10 days and alongside this I developed a cold. The urine sample I took to the doctors was very red he just frowned and said 'that's not right' then referred my to urology. He also did a Urine test and results showed haematuria. Blood pressure was normal and there was no UTI or kidney infection.

I had a camera in my bladder which showed normal results along with a kidney ct scan which was normal, no kidney stones. I was sure the blood was all to do with me feeling unwell and the cold. My go said Blood tests were normal although when I got a copy from reception glomerular filtration rate was a little low (there was a little mark next to it indicating low) but my gp said nothing of it so musnt have been worried. I was discharged from urology as they said that the ct scan was fine and said that the virus possibly affected my kidneys. I've not heard of a cold/illness causing blood in urine before though and when I read up on it myself found that there are some immune disorders that can cause blood in urine alongside a cold.

Just wondered has anyone experienced this and should I be a little worried or just totally forget it and put it down to a virus ?
Reply 1
You should probably go to a doctor, blood in the urine is never good.
Reply 2
Original post by Anonymous
I had an episode of blood in my urine a while ago (gross haematuria) it varied from red/brown/black colour. It started 2 days after I felt unwell/offish I had a bit of stomach pain, felt very tired and slept a lot over 2 days. Then I noticed the blood in the urine which persisted for 10 days and alongside this I developed a cold. The urine sample I took to the doctors was very red he just frowned and said 'that's not right' then referred my to urology. He also did a Urine test and results showed haematuria. Blood pressure was normal and there was no UTI or kidney infection.

I had a camera in my bladder which showed normal results along with a kidney ct scan which was normal, no kidney stones. I was sure the blood was all to do with me feeling unwell and the cold. My go said Blood tests were normal although when I got a copy from reception glomerular filtration rate was a little low (there was a little mark next to it indicating low) but my gp said nothing of it so musnt have been worried. I was discharged from urology as they said that the ct scan was fine and said that the virus possibly affected my kidneys. I've not heard of a cold/illness causing blood in urine before though and when I read up on it myself found that there are some immune disorders that can cause blood in urine alongside a cold.

Just wondered has anyone experienced this and should I be a little worried or just totally forget it and put it down to a virus ?


If it has stopped now and the urologist discharged you I guess it's fine.
Sounds like he thought it was a tempory issue with your kidneys so my guess would be kidney infection caused by your other infection spreading.
If you are unsure though go see your doctor (maybe just phone) and they will have records from the urologist saying what they susspect it was.

On the whole blood in the urine is a big sign of something wrong but I believe it can also be caused by things that will improve by themself. Sounds like you had the latter.
Hi there,Im a 28 year old female had almost exactly the same experience as you. Blood in urine and frothy urine with a cold when I was 26. Doctors couldn't explain it and I was sent for exactly the same tests as you were. All came back normal. As did my kidney filtration rate. I continued to have microscopic blood and protein in my urine on dipstick testing.I knew it didn't feel right although the doctors dismissed me, so I did some intensive research and discovered a rare condition called IGA Nephropathy. The symptoms fitted mine exactly, as did the onset. I took this information to the doctors and pushed for them to act on it. I was referred to a nephrologist who was amazing and agreed with me that this was IGA.I was so scared when I discovered all this, and I want to say to you please don't be scared! If this does fit your situation, you have caught it very early and will be able to take steps to manage it. In two years I have remained completely stable in terms of my kidney function, although I continue to have blood and protein in my urine. If you want to talk more about this, I am here and very happy to help as much as I can.Look after yourself.
No, the common cold does not cause haematuria. However, the illness you had which was causing the haematuria could cause symptoms similar to the common cold. I would recommend going back to your doctor and discussing the blood results with them. If there is a problem with your glomerular filtration rate you need to determine exactly the reason why before it gets any worse. Are you on any regular medication? If so, this medication could be affecting your kidney function. I think it's concerning that you haven't been given a proper explanation for your haematuria.
Reply 5
Hi. I'm closing this thread to avoid confusion since it's an old one.
If anybody has a similar issue they want advice on please feel free to post a new thread. :smile: