Urine Blood — What It Means in Your Urine Test
New to reading lab reports? Start with our guide to reading a blood test report
This checks for blood in your urine, even amounts too small to see, which is worth discussing with your doctor.
Urine Blood looks for red cells hiding in your sample, sometimes in quantities your eye could never catch. Since even a faint trace deserves a conversation, treat any positive result as a prompt to check in with your doctor.
Also known as: Hematuria (dipstick), Blood (urine), Hemoglobinuria, Myoglobinuria, Occult blood (urine)
This isn't a case where higher or lower is better. Your body keeps it in a narrow band, and both directions can matter.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
What is Urine Blood?
A test strip reacts with haemoglobin, the pigment inside red blood cells, and shows a colour if it is present. This flags even traces too faint to notice yourself.
Why is Urine Blood tested?
It is checked to look for traces of blood in the urine. This can point to something affecting your kidneys, urinary tract, or red blood cells.
What is a normal Urine Blood range?
- India
- No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison.
- Global
- Negative
Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Source: [CLSI, 2009]
What does your Urine Blood value mean?
There is no widely-accepted set of value bands for this parameter. Compare your result with the reference range printed on your own report, and discuss it with your doctor.
What does a high Urine Blood result mean?
A positive result means red cells or their pigments are showing up in your urine. This is worth discussing with your doctor so the cause can be looked into.
What does a low Urine Blood result mean?
A negative result is the usual normal finding. It suggests no meaningful blood is present in your urine.
What can affect your Urine Blood result?
- Menstrual blood in the sample
- Long-distance running
- Collection method
- Beetroot or berries (colour only)
- Bleach in the container
Questions to ask your doctor
About this result
- What does my Urine Blood result mean for me specifically, given my age and health?
- Is my Urine Blood in the range that is right for me, not just the lab's general range?
What to do next
- Could anything I eat, do, or take have affected my blood in urine result?
- Is there anything I should do about my Urine Blood, or is it fine to leave as it is?
About retesting
- Does my Urine Blood need to be repeated, and if so, when?
- The typical range for Urine Blood can vary between labs — should I compare my result against my own lab's printed range?
The bigger picture
- Should my Urine Blood be looked at together with my Urine pH and Urine Specific Gravity result?
- Does my Urine Blood connect to any condition I already have, or to anything I have noticed in how I feel?
Frequently asked questions
- What is Urine Blood?
- A test strip reacts with haemoglobin, the pigment inside red blood cells, and shows a colour if it is present. This flags even traces too faint to notice yourself. It is checked to look for traces of blood in the urine. This can point to something affecting your kidneys, urinary tract, or red blood cells.
- What is a normal blood in urine range?
- A typical adult range is around Negative. No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison. Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
- What does a high Urine Blood result mean?
- A positive result means red cells or their pigments are showing up in your urine. This is worth discussing with your doctor so the cause can be looked into.
- What does a low Urine Blood result mean?
- A negative result is the usual normal finding. It suggests no meaningful blood is present in your urine.
- What can affect your Urine Blood result?
- Several everyday factors can influence it, including Menstrual blood in the sample, Long-distance running, Collection method, Beetroot or berries (colour only), Bleach in the container.
Sources
- CLSI (2009) — CLSI GP16-A3 Urinalysis; Approved Guideline
- American Urological Association (2020) — AUA/SUFU Guideline on Microhematuria
Part of the Urine (Urinalysis)
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