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McKesson Clinical Reference Systems: Women's Health Advisor 2002.2
Hematuria (Blood in Urine)
What is hematuria?
Hematuria means blood in the urine. Microscopic hematuria
means that the blood is seen only when the urine is examined
under a microscope. Gross hematuria means that there is
enough blood in the urine to be seen without a microscope.
How does it occur?
Hematuria is a sign that something is causing bleeding in the
urinary tract. The urinary tract includes the kidneys, the
ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the
bladder), the bladder, and the urethra (tube that carries
urine from the bladder out of the body). Some common causes
of blood in the urine are:
- urinary tract (bladder) infection
- strenuous exercise
- kidney disease
- a stone in your bladder or in a kidney
- an inherited disease such as sickle cell anemia or
systemic lupus erythematosus
- medicines such as blood thinners, including heparin
(Calciparine, Liquaemin), warfarin (Coumadin), or
aspirin-type medicines; penicillins; sulfa-containing
drugs; cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)
- a tumor in your urinary tract
- a prostate infection
- injury to any part of the urinary tract (for example,
falling off a bike might bruise your kidney).
How is it diagnosed?
If you have blood in your urine, your health care provider
will ask about other symptoms and examine you. If the cause
is clear, your health care provider will treat you. If the
cause isn't clear, you may need to have more tests such as:
- urine tests
- blood tests
- ultrasound scan of your bladder and kidneys
- intravenous pyelogram (an x-ray of the urinary tract)
- cystoscopy (a procedure in which a tiny camera at the end
of a thin tube is inserted through the urethra to provide
pictures of the inside of the bladder).
How is it treated?
The treatment of hematuria depends on its cause.
How long do the effects last?
How long hematuria lasts depends on its cause. For example,
hematuria related to strenuous exercise usually goes away
within 1 or 2 days after the exercise. Hematuria from a
urinary tract infection will end when the infection is
cured. Other causes might take longer to clear up.
What can I do to help prevent hematuria?
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily (more during hot
weather) to flush the urinary tract.
- Avoid cigarette smoking, which is linked to urinary tract
cancers.
- Switch to a less intense exercise program if necessary.
- Follow your health care provider's advice for regular
urine testing so you will know if you have blood in your
urine again.
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