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Anyone can panic if their urine is reddish or bloody. Hematuria is the excretion of an abnormal amount of red blood cells in the urine. There are many causes of hematuria, including strenuous exercise, trauma, infection, blood or kidney disease, and medications. Since the causes are so diverse, it is essential to get an accurate diagnosis and then receive appropriate treatment.
If you go to the hospital for hematuria, you will have a urinalysis, a urine cell test, a cystoscopy, or, if necessary, an imaging test such as CT/MRI. Men may add a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. It may be a simple symptom, but it can also be a sign of serious health problems.
◇ Damage to the glomeruli in the kidney… If blood is not filtered, hematuria occurs.
If there is a problem with the kidneys (kidneys), the urine may contain blood and foam. The kidney is an organ that filters waste products from the blood and excretes them in the urine. The glomeruli in the kidneys perform various functions, such as regulating the concentration of electrolytes in the blood and blood pressure.
The glomeruli can be damaged for a variety of reasons, including high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as immune diseases. If there is a lot of foam (proteinuria) or brown or blood-like color when urinating, it is necessary to check whether glomerulonephritis is caused by an abnormality in the glomeruli. If the symptoms persist for a long time without taking any action because the severity is not severe, it can develop into chronic nephritis syndrome.
Once the glomerulus is damaged, it cannot be restored and is lost. A decrease in the number of glomeruli can lead to chronic kidney disease.
Lee Sang-ho, a professor of nephrology at Gangdong Kyunghee University Hospital, said, “If glomerulonephritis is detected early and treated appropriately, most cases do not require dialysis. It will progress to kidney failure,” he explained.
◇ 30-50% of urolithiasis recur within 5 years… The key to prevention is ‘hydration’
Urolithiasis is the formation of stones in the urinary tract, the way urine is made, transported, stored, and excreted. It is formed when calcium and other components in the urine aggregate and grow. More than 90% of urolithiasis patients show microhematuria, and 5-10% of urolithiasis are sometimes observed with the naked eye. If hematuria appears along with acute cirrhosis, urolithiasis may be suspected.
If you sweat a lot in a hot environment and do not drink enough water, the formation of stones is accelerated due to water loss. In addition, exposure to sunlight in summer increases the risk of stone stones even when vitamin D production is activated. If the stone size is less than 4~5mm, 60~80% is naturally excreted through water intake and drug treatment. If the size is more than 6mm or the location is the upper ureter, a shock wave is emitted from outside the body to break the stone and induce it to be discharged naturally.
Professor Park Hyeong-geun of the Department of Urology at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, said, “30-50% of urolithiasis patients recur within 5 years. The key to preventing urolithiasis is water intake. Drinking 2 to 3 liters of water a day can prevent urolithiasis. “He said.
◇ Bladder cancer and kidney cancer also show symptoms of hematuria
Hematuria can also occur with urinary-related cancers such as bladder cancer or kidney cancer. In particular, regarding 85% of bladder cancer patients show hematuria. The urine may appear red or dark brown or dark red. However, it is known that only regarding 12% of patients with hematuria are actually caused by bladder cancer.
Hematuria is also seen in renal cancer patients. Professor Seo Jun-kyo of the Department of Urology at Asan Medical Center in Seoul said, “In most cases of early kidney cancer, there are no specific symptoms, but in patients with very severe kidney cancer, there may be symptoms of blood mixed with the naked eye.”
jjsung@news1.kr
