If you’ve looked in the toilet and found red or pink blood-stained urine, it’s natural to feel worried. But this condition, called hematuria, is relatively common, and it doesn’t always mean you have a serious underlying condition.
In fact, most causes of hematuria aren’t serious and are highly treatable. But whenever you see blood in your urine, it’s time to schedule a visit to your doctor. At Urological Associates in Charlottesville, Virginia, our board-certified urologists specialize in diagnosing the cause of and treating hematuria.
To help you better understand the causes of blood in your urine and the treatments that exist, our team gathered the information you need to create this informative post. Keep reading to learn what you need to know about the causes and treatments of hematuria.
Hematuria can either be visible to the naked eye (gross hematuria) or only visible under examination with a microscope (microscopic hematuria). Regardless of which type you have, it’s important to understand the root cause.
For the vast majority of patients, hematuria isn’t caused by a serious underlying condition, like bladder cancer. Instead, hematuria is more often caused by a highly treatable trigger, such as:
In some cases, the cause of hematuria may be more serious, including bladder or kidney cancer. Because these cancers don’t typically cause physical symptoms in the early stages, be sure to seek immediate medical care if you have a history of smoking and notice blood in your urine.
To effectively treat hematuria, it’s important to understand the underlying cause of your symptoms. At Urological Associates, our providers begin by confirming the diagnosis of gross or microscopic hematuria, then getting to the bottom of what’s triggering blood in your urine.
So that we can create the best course of treatment possible, your provider may order different diagnostic tests, including:
Once our team identifies what’s causing your hematuria, we design a customized treatment plan. These treatments vary depending on the reason you have blood in your urine.
For example, if your hematuria is caused by a bladder or urinary tract infection, you may be prescribed antibiotics. Or, for example, if an enlarged prostate is to blame, your Urological Associates provider may talk about prostate medications.
In some cases, no treatment is necessary and we schedule routine follow-up appointments to monitor your healing and progress. The same is true in cases where no known cause of hematuria can be determined.
If you see blood in your urine, don’t ignore it. It’s important to schedule a visit with your urologist the first time you see hematuria — even if it’s only a small amount or if it seems to go away quickly. Hematuria is never normal, and it’s important to have a medical evaluation to ensure your health.
If your hematuria is accompanied by the following symptoms, don’t wait to schedule a regular appointment. Instead, seek emergency medical care if you also have:
For help diagnosing and treating hematuria, contact the experts at Urological Associates in Charlottesville, Virginia. Call 434-295-0184 to schedule an appointment or book online at your convenience.
