Urination is the process of excreting waste from your body. Your kidneys create urine when filtering your blood to eliminate toxins and other harmful materials. This filtration system begins in the kidneys and progresses through your bladder, ureters, and urethra until the fluids exit the body through your urethra. Urine itself is composed of salt, waste products like urea and uric acid, and various electrolytes, and your urinary health can be determined by something as simple as its color or smell.
Even trace amounts of things that shouldn’t be in your urine, such as blood, can indicate other medical issues. Blood in urine is referred to as hematuria. Its presence can indicate anything from a minor issue or to a more serious condition that requires medical treatment. To determine which, we need to examine what hematuria is, why it occurs, and what can be done to treat it.
Residents of Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, or South Florida experiencing urinary abnormalities can find answers and treatment from Drs. Craig Herman and Steven Kester, along with their team, at the Urology Center of Florida.
Hematuria is the broad term for blood cells in your urine. The number of blood cells can be small enough to be unnoticeable, or large enough to cause your pee to change color. The types of hematuria are based on how much blood is present:
Hematuria is found in over 20% of people who undergo urine tests, and it’s often a microscopic amount. Several different tests can be used to determine the degree of hematuria.
Blood in your urine generally results from blood cells leaking into the urine from somewhere in your urinary tract. Urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney infections, bladder or kidney stones, kidney disease, and an enlarged prostate can cause this to happen. Cancers in the urinary tract and a family history of genetic blood conditions can also lead to hematuria, along with some medications, like anti-cancer drugs and blood thinners, and strenuous exercise.
The risk of hematuria increases as you age, especially in men over 50, and family history and playing certain sports also raise your chances.
To confirm hematuria, we frequently use cystoscopy, a procedure that uses a thin, flexible lens to examine the urinary system. It’s quick, highly effective, and makes getting a diagnosis very easy. If the results are inconclusive, additional diagnostic options such as ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, and kidney biopsies may also be considered.
The treatment depends on the amount of blood in your urine and the cause. Antibiotics can be used to manage infections, while cancer treatments can address that disease. An enlarged prostate can be treated with medications that should eliminate the blood after follow-up testing.
Blood in your urine may seem serious, but it can happen for many reasons, and we have many solutions to treat it. Call or message the Urology Center of Florida team today to make an appointment.
