Urine examinations are performed in the diagnosis and treatment of many types of diseases, as well as during routine medical examinations. The change in the composition of urine indicates the presence of any pathology. Such indicators include an increased number of erythrocytes in the urine of an adult.
The first rule is to treat a cause, not a consequence, that is, the disease itself, and not just the increased content of red blood cells. To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to pass several additional tests and make ultrasound of the kidneys, bladder and urinary tract.
In this material we will consider all possible causes, due to which erythrocytes appeared in the urine above the norm, and also we learn what this means, and also what consequences it threatens.
Varieties of
The process of establishing the fact that urine samples are increased in red blood cell counts consists of two stages:
- Study of the color of .If the urine is reddish or brown, this is a sign of macrogematuria, that is, the number of blood cells exceeds the norm several times;
- Microscopic examination of .If more than 3 erythrocytes are found in a certain area of the analyzed material( field of vision), a diagnosis is made-microhematuria.
To determine the diagnosis, it is very important to determine the type of erythrocytes:
- Unchanged red blood cells - they have hemoglobin, in shape such bodies resemble biconcave disks and are colored red. Changed erythrocytes in the urine of e.alkaline, there is no hemoglobin in their composition, microscopic examination shows that such bodies are colorless, reminiscent of the shape of the ring. Hemoglobin is derived from such red corpuscles because of increased osmolarity.
The appearance of blood in the urine causes an immediate visit to the doctor, since most causes of hematuria are very dangerous. The process of urine formation begins in the glomeruli of the kidneys, where the primary filtration of blood occurs, while in normal erythrocytes, leukocytes and plasma proteins do not pass through the glomerulus membrane. Therefore, their appearance in the urine is a sign of the disease.
The norm of erythrocytes in urine in women and men
According to reviews of medical specialists, red blood cells in the general analysis of urine are found in isolated cases. The causes of this condition can be various factors, for example: intense physical stress, alcohol abuse, a long period of time spent on the legs, as well as various diseases.
The norm of red corpuscles in the general analysis of urine in women and men is 1-3 erythrocytes in the field of vision. According to doctors, exceeding the norm of erythrocytes in the general analysis of urine testifies to the presence of a pathological process.
If red blood cells in the urine are elevated, what does this mean?
Why does the analysis show an increased erythrocyte content in the urine, and what does it mean? If erythrocytes are detected in the urine of an adult above normal, this indicates that it is necessary to identify the source of bleeding.
Depending on the location, 3 groups of causes are distinguished:
- Somatic or prerenal - not directly associated with the urinary system;
- Renal - caused by kidney disease;
- Postestral - Urinary tract pathology.
The same symptom in men and women can have various causes, including those caused by anatomical and physiological characteristics.
Causes of increased erythrocytes in urine
The causes of somatic origin are related to the fact that the kidneys are not involved in the pathological process, but react to the disease in other organs and systems. These include:
- Thrombocytopenia - a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood, entails the problem of clotting in the blood vessels, and, consequently, the ingestion of blood into the urine.
- Hemophilia .There is also a decrease in blood clotting, however, the reasons for the other. Nevertheless, the diluted and incapable of normally coagulating blood penetrates through the glomeruli into the urine.
- Intoxication of the body - ingestion of toxins( poisons) with various viral and bacterial infections causes an increase in the permeability of the glomerulus membrane for erythrocytes, which causes them to enter urine.
Rental causes cause an increase in red blood cells in kidney disease:
- Acute and chronic glomerulonephritis - the disease leads to a breakdown in the filtering function of the kidneys, so that red blood cells leak into urine.
- Kidney cancer is a growing tumor that affects the walls of blood vessels, creating small bleeds that enter the urine. At the analysis erythrocytes of the usual form are observed.
- Urolithiasis. Here it is a violation of the integrity of the mucous membrane, which results in bleeding, and part of the blood enters the urine.
- Pyelonephritis - because of the inflammatory process, the permeability of the blood vessels of the kidney increases, and the red blood cells enter the organ.
- Hydronephrosis - obstruction of outflow of urine leads to body stretching and microdamaging of blood vessels.
- In case of serious trauma, tearing of the kidney, a knife wound, a severe bruise, the hematuria is diagnosed, there is an extensive discharge of blood into the urine.
In the case of causes of postrenal origin, the increased erythrocyte content in the urine develops due to diseases of the bladder or urethra:
- Cystitis is an inflammatory disease of the bladder, during which red blood cells can penetrate into the urine through the weakened walls of the vessels.
- Presence in the urethra or in the bladder itself of the stone. Here you can immediately expect traumatism of mucous membranes.
- Injuries of the bladder and urethra with vascular damage and bleeding are accompanied by macroscopic hematuria.
- Bladder cancer leads to rupture of blood vessels through which red blood cells leak. Depending on the size of the opening, the amount of blood flowing into the urine depends, the bigger it is, the more intense the color.
Causes in men
Certain diseases of the genital system can also provoke an increased amount of erythrocytes in the urine. So some diseases of the prostate gland in men lead to hematuria:
- Prostatitis is an inflammation that affects the prostate gland. Urine filling with erythrocytes is identical to all other inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system.
- Prostate cancer .In this case, the damage to the vessels is due to the destruction of their walls by a growing neoplasm.
Reasons for women
In women, the appearance of erythrocytes in the urine is caused by such diseases of the reproductive system:
- Cervical erosion is a wound on the mucous membrane of the cervix, formed as a result of mechanical trauma, hormonal malfunction or sexual infection. Naturally accompanying the secretion of blood.
- Uterine bleeding - blood from the vagina can get into the urine during the act of urination.
Physiological causes of
In the end, we will display the moments that can also lead to an increase in the number of erythrocytes in the urine of adults, but not related to diseases of internal organs:
- The air temperature is too high. Usually it can be in harmful work in hot shops or after being in a sauna.
- Strong stresses that make the walls of blood vessels more permeable.
- Alcohol - it also makes the walls permeable, and, in addition, it narrows the kidney vessels.
- Great physical activity.
- Excessive passion for spices.
When in the urine red blood cells, leukocytes and protein
When the results of urinalysis show abnormalities in the content of not only red blood cells, but also leukocytes or protein - this is a serious reason to contact the doctor for detailed diagnosis.
Such changes may be in inflammatory diseases of the kidneys, tuberculosis, urolithiasis, hemorrhagic cystitis, tumors of the urinary tract and other conditions.
It is necessary to accurately ascertain the cause of changes in blood and urine tests. If you do not give this value, later, chronic kidney disease and kidney failure may develop.
What should I do if erythrocytes are raised in the urine?
First of all, you need to identify a disease that provokes an increase in erythrocytes in the urine, and then deal with its treatment. As a rule, the following methods are used in the treatment:
- antibacterial therapy;
- diet therapy;
- anti-inflammatory therapy;
- use of diuretics if urine stagnation is observed;
- limit the amount of fluid consumed to reduce renal load;
- surgical intervention if cancerous formation, urolithiasis or trauma has been found.
In addition to erythrocytes in macrogematuria, red staining of urine can attach directly to hemoglobin.