The presence of blood cells in the urine is called hematuria. Visible blood in the urine is called macroscopic hematuria, while the amount of blood that can be detected in laboratory examination is microscopic hematuria.
What is Blood in Urine?
Blood in the urine is seen for many different reasons. If hematuria, which is a harbinger of serious health problems, is detected, a specialist should be consulted as soon as possible. Blood in the urine, not always visible to the eye, are discovered by microscope examination.
Small amounts of blood are enough to change the color of urine. Urine with blood in it may be red, pink or cola colored. Although bleeding usually causes pain, painful urination may occur if blood clots pass into the urine.
Causes of Blood in Urine
Blood in the urine is caused by the leakage of red blood cells from the kidney into the urine. There are many factors that contribute to this situation.
Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections are when bacteria enter the body through the urethra, where urine comes out, and cause infection. The most common symptoms of urinary tract infections include pain and burning during urination, frequent urge to urinate and foul-smelling urine. However, urinary tract infections are asymptomatic in older people. The only symptom in these patients is microscopic hematuria.
Kidney Infections
When bacteria cause an infection in the kidney, it is called a kidney infection. In some cases, instead of reaching the kidneys through the urethra and urinary tract, the bacteria reach the kidneys through the blood. Kidney infections, which have similar symptoms to urinary tract infections, can also cause fever and kidney pain.
Kidney Stone
When the minerals in the urine are concentrated and crystallized on the kidney or bladder wall, it is called kidney stones. Over time, these crystals harden into stones and are usually passed out of the body through urine without causing pain. However, some kidney stones cause blockage in the urinary tract, and large stones that struggle to move through the urinary tract can cause pain. Kidney stones can cause both macroscopic and microscopic hematuria in patients. The most common symptoms of kidney stones are groin pain and blood in the urine.
Prostate Enlargement
The prostate, which starts to grow in men, especially after their 40s, can put pressure on the urethra and prevent urine output to some extent. The most common symptoms of an enlarged prostate include frequent urination and difficulty urinating. The first option to come to mind in case of blood in the urine in men is prostate enlargement.
Kidney Disease
The tissue that enables the kidneys to perform filtering functions is called the glomerulus. This tissue can become inflamed for many reasons. Systemic diseases such as diabetes, vasculitis, viral infections and immune system problems can also cause this tissue to become infected. Microscopic hematuria is the most common symptom of kidney disease.
Cancer
PIn advanced stages of prostate, bladder and kidney cancers, visible bleeding in the urine occurs. Since these cancers are usually asymptomatic in the early stages, they are difficult to recognize in the early stages.
Genetic Diseases
People with alport syndrome, a genetic disorder of the filtering tissue of the kidney, may have blood in the urine. In addition, sickle cell anemia patients may have both macroscopic and microscopic hematuria in the urine due to the deformity of red blood cells.
Kidney Injuries
Severe damage to the kidney due to any trauma causes blood in the urine.
Medication Use
Drugs used in cancer treatment, antibiotics and blood thinners can cause blood in the urine because they cause conditions that can cause bleeding in the bladder.
Heavy Exercise
Although the reason why heavy and strenuous exercise causes macroscopic hematuria is not known exactly, it is thought that the bladder is exposed to trauma during exercise, red cell destruction and fluid deficiency due to prolonged movements lead to blood leakage into the urine. This cause, which is especially seen in athletes, is also seen in people who train hard.
How to Diagnose Blood in Urine?
Blood in the urine can be caused by many different reasons. For this reason, it is necessary to determine the cause and apply treatment for this cause. A number of tests are also used to find the cause of blood in the urine.
In order to make a diagnosis, the patient’s health history is first questioned and The patient is examined for a history of a disease that may cause blood in the urine. The patient is then examined and physical findings related to the disease are detected.
Urinalysis is the most important test when investigating the cause of blood in the urine. Urinalysis can easily detect causes such as kidney stones or infection. Microscopic hematuria usually occurs as a result of laboratory tests performed on patients who consult a doctor with different complaints.
Imaging methods such as computed tomography and magnetic renosance are also used to diagnose the disease that causes blood in the urine. Cystoscopy, which examines the urinary tract with a tube with a camera at the end from the urethra to the bladder, is used to diagnose diseases in the urethra and bladder. Finally, a kidney biopsy is used to diagnose diseases of the kidney.
Blood in Urine Treatment
After determining the underlying cause for the treatment of blood in the urine, the necessary treatment protocols are followed depending on this cause.
Infection:
If the tests show blood in the urine due to urinary tract infection, antibiotics are used to treat the disease. In case of recurrent urinary tract infections, further examinations are performed to find the cause of the infection and appropriate treatment methods are applied.
If it’s a kidney stone:
If the cause of hematuria is kidney stones, then the treatment is aimed at reducing the patient’s pain and allowing the stone to pass through the urinary tract more easily. For this, medicines are primarily used. In addition, stone crushing is another method that can be preferred in kidney stone treatment. In lithotripsy treatment, sound waves are used to break large kidney stones into small pieces and allow them to pass easily through the urinary tract. This procedure is performed under light anesthesia and takes approximately 1 hour.
If Prostate Enlargement:
In the treatment of benign prostate enlargement, which usually occurs with age, both medication and surgical intervention treatment methods can be used.
Things to do to prevent diseases that cause blood in the urine
Some diseases that cause blood in the urine can be prevented. Particular attention should be paid to the following points in order to prevent these diseases.
- To prevent prostate cancer, it is necessary to make sure that you do not consume enough water during the day. In addition, quitting smoking, which is one of the biggest factors of prostate cancer, will help reduce the risk of the disease.
- In order to prevent the formation of kidney stones, it is necessary to pay attention to the amount of salt consumed. In addition, sodium-rich foods such as beetroot and spinach should be consumed in a limited way.
- Drink plenty of water to prevent urinary tract infections. It is also important to urinate after sexual intercourse and to observe hygiene rules.
