Water is a vital part of life on earth, and nowhere is that more true than in our bodies, which are made up of up to 75% of this liquid. The amount varies over your lifetime, but what doesn’t is the importance of drinking water to provide a number of functions like creating saliva, regulating body temperature, cushioning tissues and joints, sweating, urinating, bowel movements, and weight loss.
Dehydration is the result of your body losing more water than you take in, and while it can create minor problems in the short term, over longer periods it can be detrimental to your health. But can it cause blood in your urine, or hematuria? Let’s find out by looking at the overall effect of a lack of water on your body, what factors in it can lead to hematuria, and what you can do to avoid or treat it.
Residents of the Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, or South Florida area looking for ways to manage dehydration can get help from the team of Drs. Craig Herman and Steven Kester and their dedicated staff at the Urology Center of Florida.
He loss of water in your body through sweating, urinating, and other processes is completely normal, but some issues can cause the body to lose more water than it can replace. Excessive sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can be caused by a number of conditions, can cause water to leave the body very quickly.
Depending on the cause, dehydration can lead to short-term issues like dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, constipation, and dark-colored urine. Severe cases of dehydration can also lead to problems like electrolyte imbalances, kidney failure, kidney stones, heatstroke, and shock.
The presence of blood in your urine can be visible (gross hematuria) or not (microscopic hematuria) and may come with other symptoms like urinary discomfort, frequent urination, weight loss, abdominal pain, chills, fever or nausea. Mild dehydration isn’t likely to cause any blood in your urine, but it can contribute to issues that lead to the problem. With constant dehydration, constant low levels of urine volume can cause kidney stones, which can lead to hematuria, and dehydration combined with extreme exercise can cause the same problem.
Drinking more water is a key factor in preventing both dehydration and hematuria, especially after intercourse or if you have vomited or had diarrhea. Also, ingesting water before strenuous physical activity or anything that’s likely to induce lots of sweating is important. While water isn’t the only liquid that will help combat dehydration, avoid overly sweet drinks, alcohol, caffeine, and soda, as they will contribute to becoming more dehydrated.
Treatment for hematuria depends on the cause, but many medications can help if the cause is an enlarged prostate or smaller kidney stones. If larger kidney stones are the culprit, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and a ureteroscopy can help to break them up and remove them.
Dehydration isn’t a direct cause of blood in your urine, but it can help to create the environment in which it can happen. If you’re dealing with either dehydration or hematuria, call or make an appointment online today with the team at Urology Center of Florida.
