Abstract

The aim of this study was to retrospectively review the clinical significance of microscopic hematuria, and also to investigate whether the severity of microscopic hematuria is important to screen urinary tract for urological pathologies.

Urological pathologies were detected in 952 (42.5%) out of 2238 patients with microscopic hematuria. These pathologies included urinary infection in 346 (36.3%), urolithiasis in 302 (31.7%), urogenital malignancy and renal cyst in 157 (16.5%), prostate or urethral disease in 121 (12.8%) and various congenital anomalies in 26 (2.7%). The incidence of urological pathologies increased with age and achieved the highest rate after the sixth decade. Of the patients, 212 (9.5%) were asymptomatic, and 2026 (90.5%) had urological symptoms. Urinary pathologies were detected in 82 (38.9%) of 212 patients with asymptomatic microhematuria. Of the patients with microscopic hematuria and pyuria, 45.7% of them had associated urinary pathologies regardless of pyuria. To investigate the relationship between the severity of microhematuria and urinary pathologies, 671 (41.5%) out of 1618 patients with slightly hematuria had urinary pathologies, 94 (37.6%) out of 250 patients with moderately hematuria had urinary pathologies, and 187 (50.6%) out of 370 patients with severely hematuria had urinary pathologies.

Our study shows that urinary pathologies increase with age. Pyuria can be detected in two third of the patients with microhematuria, and this may be associated with urinary pathologies in a half of patients. Finally, patients with microhematuria should be carefully screened for urinary pathologies regardless of the severity of microhematuria.