Hematuria: Recent Clinical Studies for Treatment Options

Hematuria can be caused due to many reasons in males and females.  Blood in the urine may or may not be accompanied by pain. But it is never normal to see blood in the urine. Painful blood in the urine can be more serious though and can be caused by a number of disorders such as stones and infections in the urinary tract.

Painless blood in the urine can also occur due to many reasons. Some of them may be minor problems. But others may be quite serious such as cancer of the urinary tract. Blood in urine is also known as hematuria.

Common causes why some people may have blood in their urine are as follows: infection in the bladder, kidney, or prostate or other organs of the urinary tract, trauma or injury, heavy exercise, viral illness, such as hepatitis, menstruation, endometriosis, cysts on urinary organs such as bladder, kidney, etc. There could be other causes as well.

Other reasons of hematuria that are not so common but are more serious are bladder cancer, kidney cancer, inflammation of the kidney, urethra, bladder, or prostate or other organs in the urinary tract, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, etc.

Sometimes, the blood can be visible to naked eye, but in some cases such as in microscopic hematuria, the blood is not visible to the naked eye. Therefore, it is called microscopic hematuria.

A doctor performs additional tests to detect the blood in urine and identify the cause of the urine with blood in case of microscopic hematuria.

Review of select Recent Studies on Hematuria Treatment
A clinical study titled “Vaginal Estrogen for Asymptomatic Microscopic Hematuria” that is recruiting participants is focusing to determine whether vaginal estrogen is an effective treatment for asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in postmenopausal women. The investigators assume that women who use vaginal estrogen for a few months such as three months will be more likely to have improvement in their asymptomatic microscopic hematuria as compared to the women who do not use vaginal estrogen at all. In this study, Investigators will compare red blood cell count results obtained during the initial urinalysis to the twelve week urinalysis to determine any change in red blood cell count (if there will be any). A measurement of quality of life change from baseline will also be done utilizing subject self administered questionnaires, Urogenital Distress Inventory Short Form and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire.
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The Use of Finasteride to Reduce Hematuria and Hematospermia Following TRUS Prostate Biopsy” is another study that was focused to primarily evaluate the effects of finasteride on hematuria and hematospermia commonly associated with prostate biopsies. The investigators had assumed that a small dosage of finasteride daily for at least two weeks before TRUS prostate biopsy and one week after the biopsy will reduce hematuria and hematospermia commonly seen as complications following prostate biopsy. They also assumed that reducing complications will decrease concern among subjects and make for a more tolerable overall procedure than compared with subjects treated with placebo. However, the study has been terminated in its second phase. The clinical trial did not achieve enrollment goal and the investigators decided to terminate it early.

About Author:
Neha Mittal, is a senior microbiologist and is associated with DiseaseFix as a researcher. DiseaseFix develops health information modules for patients and provides a unique platform to allow access of reliable information of a variety of types for diseases.