Hematuria
This term refers to blood in the urine. This condition may be gross which means can be seen with the naked eye or microscopic that can br detected only by dipstick or microscopic examination of the urine sediments.
Gross hematuria may originate from the kidney so it is generally brown or cola colored urine and may contain red blood cell casts.
If the urine is red to pink color and with clots, it may originate from the bladder and urethra.
Gross hematuria may be associated with: edema, hypertension, and renal insufficiency.
Microscopic hematuria is most commonly discovered at periodic health examinations by dipstick or microscopic examinations of the urine sediments.
It is defined as more than 5 red blood cells/ hpwf in the sediment from 10 ml of centrifuged freshly voided urine.
Some school aged children have asymptomatic microscopic hematuria. And these children if having persistent microscopic hematuria on three urinalyses at a monthly interval should undergo further evaluation.
Generally, the causes of hematuria in children can be:
1. Glomerular diseases: ig a nephropathy, acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, SLE, anaphylactoid purpura, and hemolytic uremic syndrome; 2. Infection: bacterial, tuberculosis, viral; 3. Hematologic:
coagulopathies, thrombocytopenia, sickle cell disease,
renal vein thrombosis; 4. Stones and hypercalciuria;
5. Anatomic abnormalities: congenital anomalies, trauma, polycystic kidneys, vascular abnormalities, and tumors; 6. Exercise; 7. Drugs