Hematuria - blood in the urine - definition and causes

Hematuria - blood in the urine - definition and causes

Hhat is Hematuria - Blood in the Urine and Causes

Hematuria is BLOOD in the URINE. Hematuria may result from numerous circumstances and always requires medical evaluation to determine the underlying cause. Though BLADDER CANCER is uncommon, hematuria often is the earliest sign of its presence. Gross hematuria occurs when the amount of blood in the urine is sufficient to discolor the urine (typically pink, red, or brown). Occult, or microscopic, hematuria occurs when the amount of blood in the urine is very slight, detected during microscopic examination of the urine.

Symptoms of Hematuria and Diagnosis

Urinalysis is the first step of the diagnostic path, with additional diagnostic procedures, depending on the findings and the symptoms. Treatment targets the underlying cause. Certain medications or foods may cause the urine to be pink or red, in which case the urinalysis shows there to be few erythrocytes (red blood cells) present in the urine. MENSTRUATION may also give the appearance of blood in the urine.

CONDITIONS FOR WHICH HEMATURIA IS A COMMON SYMPTOM
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH) BLADDER CANCER
BLUNT TRAUMA to the abdomen or back CHLAMYDIA
CYSTITIS EPIDIDYMITIS
GENITAL TRAUMA GONORRHEA
PROSTATITIS pyelonephritis
TRICHOMONIASIS URETHRITIS
URINARY TRACT INFECTION (UTI) UROLITHIASIS

See also ANURIA; DYSURIA; ENURESIS; NOCTURIA; OLIGURIA.

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The Urinary System

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