Lead, Urine Health Feed

The condition in which blood appears in the urine is known as hematuria. The loss of blood in this condition could be gross or microscopic depending on the cause of the condition. There are several causes why blood may appear in the urine. Whatever the cause may be, hematuria is mostly indicative of a serious medical condition.

Here are 5 reasons that cause blood to appear in the urine.

1.Infection

Infections like urethritis, pyelonephritis, cystitis or infection in any other body organ along the urinary tract is one of the most common causes of hematuria. Such bacterial infection in the urethra can also infect the kidneys and the urinary bladder. It results in the urge to urinate frequently and also causes blood to appear in the urine.

2. Kidney stones and bladder stones

Another reason that can cause blood to appear in the urine is the presence of stones in the kidney or bladder. These stones are crystallized minerals that are formed in the kidney or the bladder but fail to pass through the urinary tract. They cause blockage and pain and result in hematuria.

3. An enlarged prostate

An enlarged prostate is a common cause of appearance of blood in the urine in men who are in their middle ages or older. Enlargement of the prostate gland causes the urethra to be compressed. This prevents the urethra from getting fully emptied while urination.

4. Polycystic Kidney Disease

PKD is a kidney disorder in which cysts filled with fluid form in the kidneys and impair the kidneys, causing them to fail entirely at times. It is an inherited disease and causes blood to appear in the urine.

In children who are between 6-10 years of age, kidney disorder after streptococcal glomerulonephritis can be a possible cause of hematuria.

5. Cancer

A cancerous kidney, bladder or prostate gland can also cause blood to appear in the urine. It is another major cause of hematuria but usually occurs in older patients. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an urologist.

Urine incontinence is a condition that can be caused by one's everyday habits, side effects to medication, or any other long-term physical ailments. A thorough check-up by your doctor can help in getting to the root cause of this condition.

Certain beverages, medicines and foods can act as diuretics. This leads to bloating in your bladder and an increase in the volume of your urine. They include the following:

1. Liquor
2. Caffeine
3. Decaffeinated tea or coffee
4. Aerated drinks
5. Artificial sweeteners
6. Corn syrup
7. Drinks that contain high doses of artificial flavours, sugar or acid, particularly citrus based beverages
8. Heart medicines, narcotics, and muscle relaxants
9. Extensive intake of vitamins B or C
10. Urinary tract infection (UIT)
11. Constipation

Other causes:

Urinary incontinence can also be caused by the following:

1. Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and increasedweight of the uterus can cause stress incontinence.
2. Childbirth: Delivery can weaken the muscles required for bladder control. It damages the bladder nerves and steady tissue. With prolapse, the uterus, bladder, or the intestine can be pushed down from their usual position and might even protrude into the vagina.
3. Changes developed with age: Maturing of the bladder muscle can weaken the bladder's ability to store urine.
4. Menopause: After menopause,women deliver less estrogen. Disintegration of these tissues can cause incontinence.
5. Hysterectomy: In women, the same muscles and tendons support the bladder and uterus. Any surgery that removes the uterus may harm the supporting muscles, which can prompt incontinence.
6. Expanded prostate: Particularly in older men, incontinence usually occurs from growth of the prostate organ, a condition known as considerate prostatic hyperplasia.
7. Prostate cancer: In men, stress incontinence or urge incontinence can be connected with an untreated prostate disease. Incontinence is a reaction to medicines prescribed for prostate growth.
8. Obstruction: A tumour in your urinary tract can disrupt the typical stream of urine, prompting flood incontinence. Urinary stones at times cause leakage of urine.
9. Neurological disorders: Various sclerosis, Parkinson's illness, stroke, a mind tumour or a spinal damage can meddle with the nerve signals. These are important in keeping control of the bladder.

Your specialist may suggest the following:

1. Bladder control: You may begin by attempting to hold off for 10 minutes each time you feel a desire to urinate. The objective is to extend the time between visits to the toilet until you start urinating in two to three hour intervals.
2. Two-fold voiding: Twofold voiding implies urinating, then holding it for a couple of minutes and attempting once more. This exercise can help in leveraging better control in the long run.
3. Fixed toilet time: You may attempt to urinate every two to four hours instead of sitting tight when the need arises.
4. Liquid intake and diet: You may need to stay away from liquor, caffeine or acidic foods. Also, the fluid intake may have to be reduced in such cases. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Many people are embarrassed to talk about their urine colour or urine problem with anybody, including their doctor. But, what people always forget is that strong smelling urine and the change in the colour of the urine is a serious issue. Your urine colour directly tells you about your health, especially your inner body. So, without being embarrassed you should consult a doctor, if and when, you find foul odour in your urine.

Following are some of the reasons for the causes of strong smelling urine. 

1. You are dehydrated: Urine is not supposed to leave odour. It should be odourless, but if you find strong smell in your urine, you should consult a doctor immediately. The most common reason of foul odour in your urine is dehydration. If the amount of water needed in your body is not enough then, there will be less water in your body as a result the waste products will not be diluted in water being more concentrated making the urine darker and more odour. But once you start drinking water, it should go normal. Normally, this kind of situations occur in early morning when your water intake is less or not at all. But drinking lot of water will solve this issue immediately.
2. More alcohol or caffeine intake: If you are habituated to drink a lot of coffee then it may happen that you find strong smell of coffee in your urine. Although it is not very problematic yet it is healthy if you reduce the intake of coffee in your daily life in order to have a healthy digestive system. Not just coffee but even alcohol could be the reason of irregular or need to urinate a lot more than usual.
3. Bacterial Infection: There could be bacterial infection or kidney infection which could lead to strong smell of urine. In order to ensure you should go to a doctor and get important tests done. Then the doctor can suggest treatment according to your results and if all the results are normal then you could be suggested to maintain a balanced diet on regular basis.
4. Imbalanced Diet: The problem can sometimes come from the use of certain vitamins from imbalances in your diet. There are substances like nitrates and phosphates in the urine which can give dark colour and odour. You should always have a proper diet and follow it in order to have a healthy digestive system. Eating lot of garlic and onion can also bring odour in your urine.
5. Diabetes: If you are diabetic, it may be possible that you find dark urine and odour in your urine. It indicates that your sugar level is not normal and gone much high than normal. If you are not diabetic then it may be a sign of diabetes so you should get diagnosed immediately with your doctor.

There are multiple causes of strong smelling urine but most of them could be cured easily if diagnosed immediately. But in order to avoid this issue it is better to be careful with your diet and drink a lot of water. At least three litres of water a day is an absolute necessity! In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!