Blood in Urine - Hematuria

Hematuria or haematuria is a term used to signify the presence of blood, especially red blood cells in urine. However, sometimes white blood cells can also be found along with the red blood cells. It is generally a symptom of some underlying problems of the kidney and the urinary tract, like presence of stones, tumors or infection.

Types of Hematuria
Depending on whether the blood present in the urine can be seen by the naked eye, hematuria is usually classified into microscopic and macroscopic hematuria. In microscopic hematuria, a small amount of blood is present that does not change the color of the urine, and hence can be detected only through a microscope. Generally, it is not a sign of any disease, as a small amount of blood can be found in the urine of almost all healthy people. But, sometimes it can be a symptom of chronic kidney diseases.

In case of macroscopic hematuria, the color of the urine is changed to pink or red due to the presence of blood. Sometimes, blood clots can also be found in the urine. Another name of macroscopic hematuria is gross hematuria.

Symptoms of Hematuria
The general symptom of hematuria is the presence of blood in urine, and often it may be the only symptom. However, sometimes it can be accompanied by some other symptoms like, urge to urinate frequently, pain during urination and also pain in the abdomen.

Causes of Hematuria
There may be numerous causes for the presence of blood in the urine. However, the common causes include, the presence of stones in the kidney or urinary bladder, prostate enlargement and infection in the urinary tract.

Hematuria can also be a symptom of a disease known as 'Thin Basement Membrane Disease'. This disease is often termed as benign familial hematuria. This disease is characterized by the thinning of the basement membrane of the glomeruli in the kidney. This is one of the most common causes of microscopic hematuria.

Urinary bladder is the organ that stores urine, and its cancer can also be a cause of hematuria. Hematuria can be a symptom of kidney cancer. Renal cell carcinoma, a common type of kidney cancer, that affects the lining of the proximal renal tubule, can result in hematuria. These renal tubules are responsible for filtering blood and waste products. Obstruction of the urinary tract is another factor causing hematuria. In urinary tract obstruction, the flow of urine is hindered which causes distention of the urinary tract proximal. It can also result in the distortion of the urinary tract, and even renal failure.

Nephritic syndrome, a series of symptoms of the disorders associated with kidneys can also be a reason behind hematuria. In this disease, small pores can be found in the podocytes of the glomerulus through which blood cells can easily pass into the urine, and thus cause hematuria.

Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis of hematuria usually starts with the analysis of the medical history of the patients like history of kidney stones, presence of blood clots in the urine, pain during urination, recent illnesses, etc. Then it is diagnosed with the help of blood test and ultrasound. Ultrasound of the renal tract is generally done to determine the source of bleeding. X-ray or CT scan can be carried out to find out the presence of stones in kidney. With the help of cystoscopy and biopsy, it can be determined whether hematuria is caused by bladder cancer.

The treatment of hematuira depends on the specific factor causing it. If it is caused by infection, then it can be treated with simple antibiotics. But, if cancer or tumors in kidney, ureters, urinary bladder or prostate cancer are responsible for the disease, then there can be a wide range of treatments, including surgery. On the other hand, hematuria caused by stones in kidney and bladder requires removal or breakage of these stones.

Presence of blood in the urine or hematuria is often not considered as a matter of much concern. But, it should not be neglected and properly diagnosed by an experienced physician, as it can be a symptom of some really serious diseases like cancer or tumors of the kidney as well as the urinary tract.