Blood In Urine Treatment - Procedures, Side effects, Recovery time, Costs and alternatives

When there is blood in the urine of a person then this condition is termed as hematuria. ‎Generally, a person that has some blood in the urine does not need to worry but the presence of ‎blood in urine in some cases is considered as a sign of some critical disease. The condition of the ‎blood in urine should not be ignored and it must be consulted with the doctor. If the urine is in ‎normal color then the blood in the urine is referred as microscopic hematuria, while when the ‎color of the urine changes due to reddish brown or brown then that condition is known as ‎macroscopic hematuria. There are several causes that may result in experiencing blood in urine. ‎Some of the causes are

• Kidney stones: if a patient has kidney stones then it is a possibility that blood in the ‎urine is due to the presence of stone in the kidney.‎‎
• Strenuous exercise: when a person performs strenuous exercise then he/she may ‎experience blood in their urine. This condition is more common in men in ‎comparison to women.‎‎
• Tumors of bladder or kidney: if a patient has any tumors on their bladder or kidney ‎then blood in urine may be a common phenomenon.‎‎
• Medicines: blood in urine can also be caused due to some medicines like heparin, ‎cyclophosphamide, and penicillin.‎‎
• Bleeding disorder: if a patient has a bleeding disorder like hemophilia then he/she ‎may experience blood in their urine.‎‎
• UTI: when a patient suffers from an infection in the urinary tract then hematuria can ‎be observed in the patients.‎‎
• Glomerulonephritis: when the filtering units of the kidney commonly referred to as ‎glomeruli get inflamed then hematuria may be observed in a person. It is usually ‎caused by viral and bacterial infections.‎‎
• Trauma: a patient having an injury to the urinary tract can cause hematuria to ‎appear.‎

To confirm the diagnosis of hematuria the doctor would order a routine urine microscopic test. If ‎the condition of hematuria confirmed then the doctor may order some additional test based on ‎the suspected cause of blood in urine. Some additional tests that may be ordered are ultrasound, ‎cystoscopy, urine culture, CT scan of bladder, ureters, and kidneys, and blood tests to check for ‎anemia, creatinine level and urinary tract infection. ‎

The treatment for blood in urine is done based on the diagnosis of the doctor. For people that ‎develop the condition of the blood in the urine due to strenuous exercise do not require any ‎treatment. Such people are only advised to change their exercise routines. In patients that ‎develop the condition of the blood in the urine due to consuming certain drugs the doctor ‎advises them to stop the use of the concerned drugs so that condition hematuria can be ‎prevented. In other causes of hematuria, the following treatment is given ‎

• Urinary tract infection: in patients having hematuria due to the infection of the urinary tract the ‎doctor prescribes antibiotics for treatment. Based on the severity of the infection a doctor may ‎advise intravenous administration of the antibiotic followed by oral therapy of the antibiotics in ‎cases of severe infection and just oral antibiotics for moderate infections.‎
• Kidney stones: if hematuria is due to kidney stones then surgical intervention may be needed. A ‎patient can undergo minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery for open surgery for the treatment. ‎The treatment for kidney stones would automatically treat hematuria in those patients.‎
• Tumor in the bladder: if a patient is suffering from hematuria due to a tumor in the kidney or ‎bladder then the patient may have to undergo cancer treatment based on the stage of cancer and ‎how far cancer has spread. The primary treatment in this condition can be radiation therapy, ‎chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or surgery.‎
• Bleeding disorders: in patients with hematuria due to bleeding disorders the treatment is based ‎on the type of bleeding disorder that is affecting the patient. The patients suffering from ‎hemophilia are given infusions of clotting factors for the treatment.‎
• Glomerulonephritis: in patients suffering from hematuria due to glomerulonephritis the treatment ‎involves antibiotics for the infection, medicines for blood pressure, and diuretic medicines for ‎improving the amount of urine being excreted, along with the changes in the diet so that less ‎pressure is exerted on the kidneys.‎
• Trauma: for treating hematuria due to an injury of trauma a surgical intervention may be needed ‎in the patients.‎

A patient is considered eligible for the treatment of hematuria if the patient has some or more ‎amount of blood in his/her urine. Besides hematuria, a patient exhibiting symptoms of other ‎diseases associated with blood in urine is considered eligible for the treatment as only then ‎hematuria can be treated. Some of the symptoms which are observed in hematuria associated ‎diseases are Bladder or kidney infection: in this type of infection the symptoms exhibited are chills, fever, ‎and feeling like vomiting, urge for frequent urination, pain while urinating, foul smell in urine, ‎and intense pain on one side of the back.‎

Prostate infection the symptoms exhibited are fever, chills, blood in semen, and pain during ‎ejaculation.‎

• Kidney stone: the symptoms observe are severe pain in the groin, side and back, painful frequent ‎urination, and vomiting.‎
• Bleeding disorder: based on the type of disorder the symptoms exhibited are bleeding in the skin, ‎gum bleeding, and blood in stool, unusual bleeding throughout the body, and prolonged bleeding ‎from a simple cut.‎
• Glomerulonephritis: the symptoms exhibited are increased blood pressure levels, reduction in ‎urine, swelling in the lower extremities.‎
• Tumor: the majority of the kidney and bladder tumors grow without any sign of pain. However ‎after the growth of the tumor the symptoms exhibited are a pain in the abdomen, pain while ‎urinating, and frequent urination.‎

Besides all these symptoms these diseases have hematuria as a common symptom in all of them. ‎

The eligibility of a patient for treatment is decided by the doctor. ‎If the patient having blood in ‎his or her urine due to strenuous exercise then he/she is not eligible for treatment as this condition ‎gets treated on its own by a change in the exercise routine. Apart from this if the patient does not ‎have blood in their urine then he/she is not eligible for the treatment. ‎

In the majority of the cases, a patient undergoing treatment for any specific condition ‎experiences some or the other side effects. The side effects range from being mild to severe. If a ‎severe side effect is experienced then a doctor must be informed promptly. However, a mild side ‎effect disappears after a short duration of time. The side effects of the treatment of hematuria ‎due to UTI using antibiotics are vomiting, loose motions, flatulence, and abdominal pain. The ‎side effects experiencedin the treatment of hematuria due to kidney stone are surgical site ‎infection, nerve damage, bleeding, and pain. The side effects of the treatment of hematuria due ‎to bladder or kidney tumor are anemia, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, infection, nerve damage, pain, ‎bleeding, skin problems, hoarseness, and heartburn.

The side effects associated with the ‎treatment of hematuria due to bleeding disorder are lightheadedness, skin rashes, and irritation at ‎the site of injection. The side effects of the treatment of hematuria due to glomerulonephritis are ‎gastritis reduced blood pressure level and electrolyte imbalance. ‎

The post-treatment guidelines are very important for the complete recovery of the patient from ‎disease. These are a set of principles which must be followed by every patient after treatment.

The post-treatment guidelines are also helpful in the prevention of the disease from recurring in ‎the future. ‎Some of the post-treatment guidelines for the treatment of hematuria are

• The complete course of antibiotics must be done by the patient.‎
• The medicines must be taken as prescribed by the doctor.‎
• In the case of hematuria due to a tumor of the kidney or bladder, the therapies must ‎be done as advised by the doctor.‎
• The surgical wounds must be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide.‎
• Proper hygiene must be maintained at the surgical site.‎
• The patient must drink plenty of fluids. ‎

If the hematuria is due to just an infection in the urinary tract then it may take 2 weeks to recover ‎for the patient. The recovery of the patient after kidney stone surgery takes 4 to 6 weeks. A ‎patient recovers from the hematuria due to glomerulonephritis within 2 weeks of the treatment. ‎The overall recovery of the patient may take time in the tumor of the bladder or kidney but ‎hematuria may vanish after a few rounds of therapies. In hematuria due to strenuous exercise the ‎patient recovers within 24 hours of changed exercise routine.‎

The cost of the treatment of hematuria due to other diseases depends on the type of diseases ‎causing hematuria. The cost of the treatment of hematuria due to UTI would be exceptionally ‎less in comparison to hematuria due to a tumor of bladder or kidney it is approx INR 5000 to ‎INR 1 lakhs.‎

The results of the treatment cannot be considered permanent as there are chances that hematuria ‎may reoccur in the patients in the near future. Only in hematuria due to strenuous exercise, there ‎is a possibility that hematuria might not occur in the future if exercise regimen is balanced.‎

Apart from the treatment described above for hematuria, the patient may also opt for some ‎natural remedies as an alternative to the treatment. Some of the natural remedies that treat ‎hematuria are drinking spinach juice mixed with coconut water, eating bitter gourd daily, and ‎drinking meat soup in moderate amount.‎