Hematuria

Hematuria (Blood in Urine)

Blood in your child’s urine is known as hematuria. While many parents are often quite alarmed when they notice blood in the urine, the majority of the time in children, hematuria is not a sign of a serious urologic condition. In many cases, the issue may resolve on its own.

Some common conditions of the urinary tract can cause a small amount of blood in your child’s urine including:

• A urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Injury to the urinary tract (sports injuries can be common causes)
• Kidney or urinary tract stones
• Chemical or metabolic abnormalities of the urine
• Structural abnormalities of the urinary tract

Diagnosing Hematuria

Other than noticing red urine, hematuria alone does not always have symptoms and does not cause your child pain. Some forms of hematuria do not present with redness of the urine and can be detected only by urinalysis. The condition is usually diagnosed because of visible changes in the urine commonly evaluated by the pediatrician.

Children referred to a pediatric urologist may undergo diagnostic tests including:

• A urinalysis
• A renal or bladder ultrasound
• A single abdominal X-ray
• Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG) – an X-ray of the bladder and urethra

Treating Hematuria

Your doctor will tailor treatment for hematuria based on the cause. In most cases, a common condition such as a urinary tract infection is the cause of hematuria and can be treated by a course of oral antibiotics to clear up the infection. Other common causes include having too much calcium in the urine.

Upon review of diagnostic tests, your doctor will discuss any conditions that may be causing the blood in the urine and discuss a treatment plan if necessary, especially if a less common condition such as a kidney stone or obstruction is the cause of hematuria.