Hematuria (Blood in the Urine)

Understanding Hematuria

Hematuria comes in two types:

• gross hematuria, in which you can see blood
• microscopic hematuria, in which you can only see blood under a microscope

What are causes of hematuria?

Causes of hematuria can include:

• Vigorous exercise
• Trauma
• Menstruation
• Kidney or bladder cancer
• Kidney or bladder infection
• Polycystic kidney disease

Treatment

Hematuria is a symptom rather than a disorder. We find and treat underlying causes.

IU Health provides expert diagnosis and treatment of all types of kidney disease. Through a close affiliation with Indiana University School of Medicine, we have access to the most innovative approaches to chronic kidney disease and other problems.

If you need the services of other specialists, such as urologists, we connect you with experts through the IU Health referral system. We help you to avoid kidney damage and maintain a high quality of life.

Techniques that we use include:

Cystocopy

If there is blood in your urine, we may refer you to an IU Health urologist for a cystoscopy. This procedure involves looking for the cause of the blood using a cystoscope. This lighted, tube-like instrument, which is inserted through your urethra, allows a physician to see inside your bladder.

Your physician may also take a biopsy or remove growths or bladder stones using tools that are guided through a tube (catheter).

During the procedure, a physician fills your bladder with a sterile solution so that any lesions or growths are easier to see. The procedure lasts only a few minutes and is typically not painful. You may receive a local anesthetic or sedation.

Kidney Biopsy

During a kidney biopsy, we take a sample of your kidney tissue taken by needle or minor surgery can help your physicians diagnose kidney problems causing proteinuria or hematuria. In the most common method, you lie on your stomach and we insert a needle into your back.

You receive local anesthetic and light sedation before the procedure. We use ultrasound or another imaging technique, such as X-ray, to guide the needle to the correct place. It takes about 30 seconds to collect a tissue sample.

We may need several samples. In some cases, we use another procedure to obtain the sample, depending on your condition and needs. For example, we may make an incision (cut) in your skin to obtain the kidney tissue. This procedure typically takes place under general anesthesia.