Blood in urine in children: possible causes, symptoms, diagnosis and features

Detected blood in the urine of children is a serious reason to go to the hospital for a consultation with doctors specializing in pediatrics and urology. As a rule, parents immediately go to medical facilities for help. Any deviation from the norm in the state of the child is a threat of the occurrence of any disease, maybe serious.

Let's talk about the main causes of this phenomenon in children of different age categories. Separately, we dwell on newborn babies, infants and grown-ups. It is necessary to start the article with the norms of blood and urine tests in children. Based on these indicators, doctors can diagnose many health problems.

Norms of indicators in analyzes

What should normal urinalysis and blood tests in children show? To begin with, the decoding of analyzes should only be done by an experienced specialist. OAM primarily helps diagnose problems with the kidneys and urinary tract. The color should be from light yellow to golden straw, no impurities should be present in the norm (transparent urine). The following is a table of norms for OAM indicators (general urine analysis).

Blood impurities should not be normal. The following is a table of UAC norms.

Please note that only an experienced specialist with a higher medical education can accurately decrypt the analysis. The table with the blood norms, which is given above, does not have differences in age (for example, the norm for a newborn child may differ significantly from the norm of the same indicator for a child at the age of three). So the results in each case are individual.

Blood in urine. Causes

This condition is called hematuria. How can you notice blood in the urine? A reddish tint, the appearance of veins in the diaper, clots in a pot. What does blood in urine mean in a child? This phenomenon has many different reasons, and pay attention to the fact that children of different age categories are different. The health status of the child must be monitored very carefully.

So, the main causes of hematuria:

• urinary tract diseases;
• infectious disease of the excretory system;
• renal failure;
• salt and kidney stones;
• urinary tract injuries;
• clotting problems;
• viral infections;
• tumor processes and so on.

In addition, in adolescents, blood in the urine can appear as a result of serious physical exertion, especially if the child is involved in sports and wants to achieve high results.

Newborn baby

Blood in the urine of babies who are just born may appear as a result of the following cases:

• birth injuries;
• pathology of the kidneys ;
• urinary tract infection.

Often young parents raise a panic completely in vain. The first days of the baby’s life are very difficult for him. During this period, a uric acid infarction may occur. Do not be afraid, this is the entry of blood into the urine due to the high content of urate in it. In this case, it is still worthwhile to see a doctor, because the cause of hematuria may be completely different. Then the baby needs examinations and proper treatment, which can only be prescribed by an experienced specialist.

Baby

Blood in the urine of infants found in the diaper is a real shock for all parents. However, do not worry in advance, because the red color of urine does not always indicate the presence of some kind of terrible disease. Here are some reasons for this phenomenon:

• hormonal disorders in girls;
• constipation;
• dermatitis;
• cracks in the nipples of the mother (provided that she is breastfeeding the baby);
• allergy;
• lactose deficiency;
• infections
• volvulus;
• eating red pigment.

Please note that the baby’s vessels are very fragile, almost any health problems can lead to damage. The cause may even be a high temperature or overwork. Causes of hematuria in an infant:

• cystitis, urethritis (which are the result of improper hygiene and development in the urinary tract infection);
• pathology;
• glomerulonephritis;
• hemorrhagic diathesis.

Grown children

Traces of blood in the urine of an older child often indicate the presence of problems with the kidneys and bladder. Bloody discharge in urine is a very common manifestation of cystitis. Another reason for this phenomenon is kidney stones, as they can damage the mucous membrane, which leads to bleeding.

Please note that no other symptoms may be present; the child may look healthy and energetic. If the blood appeared as a result of cystitis, then some more symptoms can be noted:

• heat;
• burning;
• lower abdominal pain.

With pyelonephritis, the following symptoms may be:

• heat;
• chills;
• back pain (lower part).

Other kidney problems have symptoms:

• weakness;
• high blood pressure;
• bags under the eyes;
• swelling
• heat;
• pain in the abdominal region (with kidney stones).

Diagnostics

The reason for the color change in the urine is a large number of red blood cells. If the urine is red, then we are dealing with macrohematuria. It is easy to diagnose to parents on their own. However, there is microhematuria, which can be detected only by analysis of urine. If there is even the slightest suspicion of the blood content in the urine, then a number of tests should be taken. If the reaction to the blood in the urine of the child is positive, then it is necessary to conduct a series of examinations: ultrasound, tomography, cytoscopy, x-ray. How to determine on your own what is the problem? Observe that if blood appears immediately during urination, the reason lies in the urethra, if after, then in the bladder. OAM can confirm kidney disease if protein is detected.

How to act?

If you find blood in your child’s urine, try not to panic. As mentioned earlier, products containing red pigment can give such a peculiar color to the urine. Remember, maybe you gave your baby the day before beets, carrots or blueberries. It is very important to make sure that it is blood that gives red color. If you gave your child new medicines, then this can also cause a red tint of urine. In these cases, it is necessary to give more clean water. If the reason lies precisely in this, then the urine will soon acquire a natural shade.

In cases where a connection with food or medicine has not been identified, then it is worth going to the doctor. To begin with, the child will need to pass the KLA and OAM. This will help to find out the cause of this phenomenon.

Conditions under which blood in urine is the norm

There are some cases where blood in the urine of children is a normal occurrence. These include an inserted catheter in the urethra. Blood in this case may be present several days after its removal. After cystoscopy or crushing (removal) of kidney stones on this day and a little later, spotting may appear. If the child had serious physical exertion on the eve of the urinalysis, this can also cause the presence of blood.