Urine reflects the body's metabolic processes, serving as a vehicle to eliminate waste products. The kidneys filter these substances to produce urine, which collects in the bladder before passing through the urethra. Far from being mere waste, urine provides crucial insight into our health. Changes in volume, color, and odor can signal various medical conditions.
Normal urine ranges from pale yellow to amber. When urine appears red or dark brown, it often indicates hematuria—the presence of blood in urine. This condition involves abnormal red blood cell excretion and results from bleeding anywhere along the urinary tract, from the kidneys through the ureters, bladder, or urethra, and may stem from urological diseases.
Urinary tract infections rank among the most common causes of hematuria. These bacterial infections occur when microorganisms invade and multiply within the urinary system. While many assume external contamination causes these infections, Escherichia coli from the intestinal tract is typically responsible. The infection's location determines its classification: pyelonephritis affects the kidneys, cystitis involves the bladder, and urethritis occurs in the urethra.
Middle-aged men may experience hematuria due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. This condition involves prostate gland enlargement that compresses the urethra, impeding normal urination. Beyond hematuria, symptoms include urinary frequency exceeding eight episodes daily, nocturia, urgency with inability to delay urination, hesitancy with delayed stream initiation, and intermittency with stop-and-start flow patterns.
Hematuria can also result from certain medications, dietary factors, or strenuous exercise. When caused by physical or mental exhaustion, adequate rest typically resolves the condition. Mild infection-related cases respond to antibiotic treatment or lifestyle modifications.
The primary concern lies in hematuria's potential connection to malignancy. Blood in urine serves as a key diagnostic indicator for urological cancers, including bladder, ureteral, prostate, and kidney tumors. As the most visible symptom that alerts patients to possible cancer, hematuria warrants immediate medical evaluation.
Given the diverse range of urological conditions that cause hematuria—some potentially life-threatening—any change in urine color indicates urinary system dysfunction and requires prompt medical assessment.
Lim Hye Jung, HEALTH IN NEWS TEAM
press@hinews.co.kr
