Blood in the urine, or hematuria, can be unsettling. Although some cases of hematuria are serious, others are quite harmless and are solved with little or no treatment. In any case, hematuria should definitely be evaluated by a physician.
Blood that is clearly seen in the urine is called open hematuria and may be red, pink, or similar to Coca-Cola, tea, or rust. Open Haematuria usually presents without any other symptoms. Mayo Clinic specialists in the field made a guide to help us understand this problem and we share it here.
It does not take much blood to change the color of the urine, so probably the loss of blood is not as much as it seems; however, a stronger bleeding involving clots is an urgent problem, which can be painful and put at risk of bladder obstruction and inability to urinate.
The first step is to determine if the color is due to the presence of blood. Urine may change color due to other things, such as blood proteins (hemoglobin or myoglobin), beets, and certain medications, including some used to treat urinary tract infections.
Sometimes, vaginal bleeding can mistakenly be taken for hematuria and vice versa. In the elderly, hematuria almost always warrants an evaluation to determine the cause of bleeding.
In order to determine what causes hematuria, your doctor may first request a urine test to see if the bleeding is a result of a urinary tract or kidney infection. Symptoms of an infection may include frequent urination, burning with urination, and abdominal pain or pressure.
Most of the more serious symptoms, such as fever, chills and back or side pain, can point to a kidney infection. Although there are no symptoms, urinalysis is almost always done to check for a possible infection.
Urinalysis and blood tests in the urine usually indicate if bleeding comes from the kidneys, which may be due to kidney disease or kidney cysts. Having a family or personal history of kidney disease or urinary stones can also provide important clues.
The risk of hematuria being an indication of cancer in some part of the urinary tract increases after 40 years and in most cases is the first symptom. Faced with this suspicion, tests for the presence of cancer may include tests of the kidney, bladder, prostate and other possible cancer.
A history of smoking, handling of chemicals or dyes, radiation in the pelvic area and other factors raise the risk of cancer in the urinary tract.
In addition to infections, kidney disease and cancer as possible causes of hematuria, the list of other possibilities is long and some are more common than others. Possible causes that are temporary and generally not worrying or are easily resolved include vigorous exercise (especially running), a stroke in the kidney area and various medications, such as the anticancer drug cyclophosphamide and anticoagulants that can range from aspirin to warfarin (Coumadin) or clopidogrel (Plavix).
Other possible causes may include prostate enlargement, kidney or bladder stones, and various hereditary kidney diseases such as polycystic kidney disease or Alport syndrome. In those with African ancestry, sickle cell anemia may be another cause.
It is often the case that the cause of hematuria is not discovered. In the elderly with hematuria of indeterminate cause, it is usual to recommend follow-up analysis. One of the objectives of this is to determine if the hematuria was temporary, persists or occurs occasionally; another goal may be to remain vigilant or see another diagnosis of cancer or a different disease that was not previously detected.
Fuente: buenavibra.es
