Blood in Kids' Urine Common, Still Requires Monitoring

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 22 Apr 2005 - 10:00 PDT

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INDIANAPOLIS - Visible and microscopic traces of blood in children's urine are not uncommon, but youngsters with these conditions should be closely monitored, reports an Indiana University School of Medicine researcher.

"We suggest that, in otherwise healthy children, microscopic hematuria does not require a full evaluation because clinically significant abnormalities are rarely detected. However, long-term follow-up is mandatory," says Jerry Bergstein, M.D., principal author of an article appearing in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

Microscopic hematuria is a condition where blood is visible only through magnification; asymptomatic gross hematuria is when the blood can be seen with the naked eye.

"On the other hand, children with gross hematuria deserve a thorough evaluation because the detection of clinically significant abnormalities is common," says Dr. Bergstein.

No cause was discovered in 274 of 342 children with microscopic hematuria. Of the 86 of 228 children with gross hematuria, the most common cause was hypercalciuria, or excessive urinary calcium excretion.

Sharon Andreoli, M.D., professor and director of the Section of Pediatric Nephrology at Riley Hospital for Children, and Jeffrey Leiser, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, were co-investigators of the study.

IU School of Medicine

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