Gross Hematuria Microhematuria

Gross hematuria and microhematuria (a shortened version of microscopic hematuria) are related in the sense that they both indicate the presence of blood in the urine. However, they differ in the amount of blood that is present. It’s normal on an every day basis to have about a million red blood cells pass out of the body through the urine. Although you may not see the blood, urinary diagnostic tests, such as a dip stick test or urine culture, can tell if you have bacteruria, or bacteria in the urine, which could cause more red blood cells to appear. These tests can also tell if the level of microscopic hematuria in the urine is abnormal, which could indicate a urinary problem.

Gross hematuria and microscopic hematuria can have traveled down from the kidneys or ureters, which are in the upper urinary tract. Kidney stones cause blood to appear in the urine because of the inflammation and irritation created from the stones passing through the urinary tract. Advanced kidney cancer, cancer of the bladder, or advanced prostate cancer also causes blood in urine.  In addition, hematuria and blood clots in the urine can occur from urinary tract infections, physical activity (such as running or contact sports), and trauma to the kidneys (car accident and falls). During your physical examination, be sure to inform our doctors of your physical activity regimens and any recent accidents you may have experienced that could be one of the blood in urine causes. 

Microhematuria is often discovered during routine medical checkups. Because women have a great chance of developing a urinary tract infection, the rate of microscopic hematuria in women is much higher than finding blood in the urine of men. However, women’s test results can also give false positives because urine samples could be tainted with blood from their menstrual cycle.

For men, an enlarged prostate (a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia) can be one of the causes of blood in urine. Sometimes the medicine for treating BPH can cause a discoloration of the urine, so you should let our urology specialists know of any medication you are taking. Other reasons for bloody urine in men could be urethritis (an infection in the urethra), high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Gross hematuria and michrohematuria are important warning signs that should be addressed. Other symptoms with blood in urine, such as cloudy urine, back pain, frequent urination, and painful urination are also important to disclose. Any surgeries dealing with the prostate, kidneys, or bladder should also be explained in order for our urologists to make an accurate diagnosis. This will also help Dr  determine what other tests, such as an MRI, CAT scan, or Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) may be ordered to further examine the cause of the urinary bleeding.

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