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. Haematuria can arise as a result of abnormalities anywhere in the renal tract: Nephritis, kidney stones, renal carcinoma, urinary tract infection, or bladder tumour are among a number of possible causes. It is important to ascertain the cause of haematuria, because some disorders which are potentially fatal, like bladder tumours, may be curable if treated early.
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