Q&A

Does warfarin cause hematuria?

Does warfarin cause hematuria?

Certain medications including aspirin, heparin or warfarin (a blood thinner) and anti-cancer drug cyclophosphamide have been known to cause blood in urine. Sometimes, it’s just tiny traces that can only be seen under a microscope. This is called microscopic hematuria.

How is microscopic hematuria treated?

Depending on the condition causing your hematuria, treatment might involve taking antibiotics to clear a urinary tract infection, trying a prescription medication to shrink an enlarged prostate or having shock wave therapy to break up bladder or kidney stones.

Do anticoagulants cause hematuria?

Hematuria-related complications were more common during exposure to anticoagulants than antiplatelet agents, and patients experienced the lowest rates of complications during exposure to older medications (aspirin and warfarin; Table 2).

Is hematuria a contraindication to anticoagulation?

Hematuria in patients taking anticoagulation drugs is not uncommon and the risk for the etiology to be of urological nature is lower than in the general population. However, that risk does exist and adequate urological evaluation is required.

What causes hematuria?

The causes of hematuria include vigorous exercise and sexual activity, among others. More serious causes of hematuria include kidney or bladder cancer; inflammation of the kidney, urethra, bladder, or prostate; and polycystic kidney disease, among other causes.

Do blood thinners make you pee?

Call your doctor right away if you have these side effects while taking blood thinners: Bleeding during your period that’s heavier than normal. Red or brown pee.

Can a warfarin use cause hematuria in adults?

Routine use of warfarin (Coumadin) should not cause hematuria unless there is an underlying urologic abnormality. 3 A brief travel and occupation history may reveal risk factors for pathogen or chemical exposure associated with hematuria ( Table 1 2, 3, 7 – 9). Information from references 7 and 9.

What should I do if I have microscopic hematuria?

Microscopic hematuria with signs of urinary tract infection should resolve with appropriate treatment of the underlying infection. Patients with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria or with hematuria persisting after treatment of urinary tract infection also need to be evaluated.

How often does microscopic hematuria lead to cancer?

In one study 5 of 1,930 patients who had complete urologic evaluation for hematuria, 982 had microscopic hematuria. Nearly one in five patients with microscopic hematuria had significant disease compared with about one in three patients with gross hematuria. In this study, 5 92 (9.4 percent) of the patients with microscopic hematuria had cancer.

When to use ultrasonography or cytology for hematuria?

Because upper and lower urinary tract pathologies often coexist, patients should be evaluated using cytology plus intravenous urography, computed tomography, or ultrasonography. When urine cytology results are abnormal, cystoscopy should be performed to complete the investigation.