Related Experiment Videos
Hematuria.
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America
|September 14, 2001
Summary
Emergency physicians frequently encounter hematuria, necessitating a broad differential diagnosis. Nonglomerular causes, like infection and stones, are most common, but serious conditions require prompt identification.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Nephrology
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Hematuria is a common presentation in emergency departments.
- Differential diagnosis includes benign and life-threatening etiologies.
- Categorization aids in systematic evaluation: glomerular, nonglomerular, coagulopathy-related, traumatic, and factitious.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the differential diagnosis of hematuria for emergency physicians.
- To highlight common and critical causes of hematuria.
- To guide diagnostic and management strategies in the emergency setting.
Main Methods:
- Review of common causes of hematuria in the emergency department.
- Categorization of differential diagnoses.
- Emphasis on key diagnostic findings like red cell casts and proteinuria.
- Clinical correlation of symptoms and patient demographics.
Main Results:
- Nonglomerular causes, particularly infection and stones, are the most frequent diagnoses for hematuria in the ED.
- Glomerular causes are associated with red cell casts and proteinuria.
- Painless, atraumatic gross hematuria in the elderly warrants high suspicion for malignancy.
Conclusions:
- A focused history, physical examination, and targeted diagnostic testing are crucial for diagnosing hematuria.
- Appropriate follow-up with primary care physicians, urologists, or nephrologists is essential based on the diagnosis.