1. Diagnosing the Underlying Cause
Hematuria, or the presence of red blood cells in your urine, may be due to a variety of different causes. For your doctor to treat this condition, it is necessary to determine its cause. In diagnosing the source of the hematuria, your doctor will first question you to determine when the bleeding occurs during urination and what, if any, other symptoms may be present, such as abdominal pain or fever. If none of these clues provides a conclusive diagnosis, it may be necessary for your doctor to take your complete family and medical history, order urine tests and even use a diagnostic procedure like cystoscopy (inserting a small fiber-optic instrument into your urethra) or intravenous pyelogram (injecting dye into your bloodstream and then X-raying your kidneys, ureters and bladder).
2. Reducing the Effects of BPH-Induced Hematuria
Hematuria that is caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can be treated in a number of different ways. Dietary changes--such as increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, omega-3 oils and zinc, reducing your intake of fats and red meat and eliminating alcohol, caffeine and tobacco from your diet--can help to control your prostate trouble. Certain types of medication, particularly alpha-blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, may also decrease your BPH symptoms, including hematuria. If your condition does not respond to dietary changes and/or medication, however, surgical removal of all or part of your prostate gland may be necessary.
3. Treatment of Trauma-Induced Hematuria
Hematuria may result from injury, such as receiving a sharp blow to your kidneys. The injury and the resulting hematuria are treated according to how severe they are, with treatment ranging from bed rest to surgery. If your injury is extreme, it may even be necessary for a surgeon to remove some of the damaged tissue or your entire damaged organ.
4. Removal of Urinary Blockages
You may experience hematuria if you are suffering from any type of urinary-tract blockage, including blockage caused by kidney or bladder stones. These types of blockages may have to be surgically corrected or removed. Some stones may have to be broken up into small pieces, so you can pass them in your urine. Short-term hematuria often lasts for several days after you pass a kidney stone but will then clear up on its own.
5. Discontinuing Hematuria-Inducing Medications
Certain medications may cause bleeding in your urine, particularly the antimalarial drug quinine (also used to treat leg cramps), the antibiotic rifampin and the antiepileptic phenytoin. If your hematuria is prolonged, you'll need to consult your doctor to see whether these medications should be discontinued.
