Question Title: BOOD IN URINEForum: The Hepatitis Forum
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| I RECENTLY WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HEP C FROM A NEEDLE STICK WORKING IN SURGURY. I TOOK REBATRON AND INTERFERON THERAPY AND AM GETTING READY TO START ANOTHER ROUND FOR 6 MONTHS. ABOUT THREE DAYS AGO I STARTED SUFFERING SEVERE PAIN IN MY UPPERRIGHT QUANDRANT THAT RADIATED TO MY BACK AND SHOWING BLOOD IN MY URINE. MY DOCTOR DID AN IVP THAT WAS NEGATIVE. WHAT OTHER DISORDERS COULD BE CAUSING THIS?
Dear Susan: I really appreciate your questions. Interferon and ribavirin have significant side effects so I appreciate opportunity to talk about them. One thing I am not sure about, however, is whether you are being treated right now or if you are between rounds of treatment. This is important. If it has been awhile (several weeks) since you have been on treatment, I would be less inclined to think the blood in the urine is related to the medications. There are rare reports of interferon and ribavirin being associated with kidney problems and it is possible that come of these conditions could give hematuria (blood in the urine). Again, these conditions would be unusual. It is also possible for the hepatitis C itself in unusual circumstances to give hematuria though it usually does so without significant pain. Again, these are relatively unusual circumstances and it should be possible for your physicians to sort this out. A long list of medical problems can cause hematuria. Two of the most common would be kidney stones or an infection of the kidney or bladder. A negative IVP does not rule out a kidney stone because, you may have already passed the stone. It should be relatively easy to identify an infection. After those two causes, there is a long list and probably would not be helpful or appropriate for me to go through all of them. Clearly, if your situation does not improve you will need additional evaluation. I would not go back on interferon and ribavirin until this problem is sorted out. I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have additional questions or concerns, I invite you to contact us at Henry Ford. Our direct phone number is (313) 916-8865. I would also encourage you to visit us at Henry Ford. We have an active group of liver specialists and we have a strong interest in and experience with hepatitis C. This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
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