Haematuria
Haematuria is the presence of blood in the urine. This may be microscopic, and invisible to the naked eye but detectable using a microscope or by diagnostic stick testing (in which a plastic stick with a number of reagent strips is dipped in the urine, and the strips change colour in the presence of abnormal agents such as blood, glucose, protein or bile) or frank, when the urine is clearly blood stained. Under normal circumstances the urine contains no blood. By far the most common cause is urinary tract infection but it may also be the result of nephritis, kidney stones or disorders of the blood and circulation. Haematuria needs to be investigated and the underlying cause treated.
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