Hematuria is the presence of blood in the urine, presence of blood can be gross hematuria which is presence of blood in urine is seen with naked eye and microscopic hematuria is blood in the urine which is seen only under the microscope. Both these cases blood can be present in urine.
How To Prevent Hematuria?
Drinking plenty of water:
The first important thing is drinking adequate amounts of water, other fluids and keeping your body well hydrated. It is said that an adult person should drink at least 8 eight-ounce glasses. This is close to 2L or half a gallon. But the exact amount depends on your physical activity status, and weather changes.
The urine tract filters out the toxic waste and extra fluid and flushes it out of your body as urine. When the amount of water is less in the urine, the substances tends to crystalize and form stones. Stones in the urinary tract is a good place for the organisms to harbor and stagnation of urine can help the organisms to grow in one place. Two most common reasons of hematuria are urinary tract stones and infections. Therefore, drinking adequate amount of water is the best and the easiest way to prevent infection and stones in the urinary tract.
If you are a person who is getting recurrent urine tract infections or stones or if you have a urinary tract disease (congenital abnormality) that increase the risk of getting infections, then it’s really important to drink plenty of water to flush out the kidneys and urine tract to prevent infections and stone formation.
Avoid risk factors that cause cancer:
- Kidney cancer
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Workplace exposure to trichloroethylene, cadmium, and cadmium
These are some of the preventable risk factors of kidney disease, so, it’s important you avoid these in order to prevent hematuria and kidney cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Smoking
- Workers in industries such as painting, leather, textiles, and rubber. Exposure to chemical called aromatic amines can increase the risk of getting bladder cancer.
- Arsenic in drinking water
- These are some preventable risk factors of bladder cancer.
- Prostate cancer
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Diet – people who eat lots of red meat and calcium are at increase risk of prostate cancer
- Smoking and obesity are risk factors for many urinary tract cancers, if you are a smoker you need to quit smoking and if you are an obese person, reduce you weight with proper dietary changes and exercises.
- Try to avoid the above-mentioned risk factors as much as possible this can prevent hematuria as well as it prevents the cause of hematuria.
- Prevention of hematuria is focused on the prevention of the cause of hematuria. So, let us see briefly what the causes of hematuria are.
Causes of Hematuria
- Bladder, prostate and kidney infections
- Urinary tract stones
- Trauma
- Vigorous exercises
- Menstruation
- Sexual intercourse
- Bladder or kidney cancer
- Enlarged prostate or prostate cancer
- Inflammation in the kidney, bladder, prostate or urethra
- Clotting disorders – hemophilia
- Sickle cell disease
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Certain medications
- Some food can turn the urine red or pink in color if consume in large amounts
As, you see some of the cause of hematuria are preventable and some are not. You need to focus on the causes that can be prevented.
Summary
Hematuria is the presence of blood in the urine. Prevention of hematuria is focused on the prevention of the cause of hematuria. Some causes of hematuria like urinary tract infections, stones, and risk factors of cancer can be prevented. First step in prevention is drinking adequate amounts of water, other fluids and keeping your body well hydrated. It is said that an adult person should drink at least 8 eight-ounce glasses. It prevents urinary tract infections and stones. Common risk factors for most of urinary tract cancers are smoking, obesity, workplace exposure to certain chemicals and medication and these should be a voided to prevent cancer in order to prevent hematuria.
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