What is urine occult blood?

The so-called occult blood in urine actually means that there is potential blood in the urine. Some can be seen with the naked eye, while some can only be seen under a microscope. Studies have found that common causes of occult blood in urine are post-menstrual period, urinary tract infection, chronic nephritis, etc. in women. Therefore, patients need to determine the cause before treatment, and then they can receive professional and effective treatment to restore their bodies to health.

1. What is urine occult blood?

The so-called occult blood is "potential bleeding", which means that the presence of red blood cells cannot be observed with the naked eye or under a microscope, but there is a reaction when tested with a test strip. Why is this so? Because when red blood cells are destroyed, the hemoglobin contained in them will be released, so the urine test stick can detect the reaction of hemoglobin. But why do red blood cells burst before leaving the body? It may be that the lifespan of the red blood cells has come to an end and they dissolve on their own like foam. It may also be that after drinking a lot of water, the urine becomes thinner and the tension decreases, causing the red blood cells to burst. In any case, the presence of occult blood, like hematuria, is a warning sign and should not be taken lightly.

2. Diagnosis of occult blood in urine

Basically, there are different considerations for occult blood at different ages and genders. For example, when occult blood is found in a young woman during a urine test, in addition to clinical symptoms, she should ask whether she is in her menstrual period. Cystitis is a common cause. However, if it is a 30-40 year old male, if there are no obvious symptoms of inflammation, sometimes an abdominal X-ray should be taken to see if there is a possibility of stones. For elderly men with hematuria or occult blood, prostatic hypertrophy is listed as the main consideration, and they should also undergo further intravenous pyelography or ultrasound examination to see if there is a tumor in the urinary system.

In addition, urine cytology is also a method to detect malignant tumors. If the X-ray, ultrasound and urine cytology are normal and there is still occult blood, it is best to undergo a cystourethroscopy. Because X-rays and ultrasounds are limited, not all tumors can be visualized. At this time, you can only use the naked eye to directly observe smaller lesions (cystourethroscopy). If these tests show no abnormal findings, we call this occult blood or hematuria "benign unexplained hematuria", which may be related to the body's immune mechanism and only requires regular follow-up in the future.