RESUMEN
Microhematuria [MH] is present in 0.5 - 2% of children. A renal or urologic disorder may present with symptom obviously pointing to the urinary tract as hematuria or the kidneys may be involved in several different systemic diseases including the vasculitis syndromes, collagen vascular diseases and the thrombotic microangiopathic diseases due to variable etiologies. Each of these diseases has important renal manifestations that may symptomatise as hematuria. We aimed to detect and depict any eventual correlation that might make microhematuria a useful tool on the predictive level on renal participation in medical disorders. More especially so in tropical settings, where specific diseases are expected to have an insulting impact upon the kidney if not the whole organisms and to determine the prevalence of microhematuria in healthy school aged children the study was conducted on 100 children with MH detected by dip- sticks and confirmed microscopically, the age range from 6 to 12 years either symptomatic or not. It was conducted among healthy children attending the outpatient clinic of the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute [NHTMRI] and in 2 primary schools, through screening of 5342 children by dipsticks for microhematuria. Cases were compared with 20 healthy children of the same age and sex matched as a control. All cases were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination and laboratory studies including complete urinalysis, urine culture and sensitivity, urinary Ca/creatinine ratio, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, serum complement C3, CBC, retics, ASOT, CRP, ESR and coagulation profile [PT, PTT, BT and CT]. Pelvi-abdominal ultrasonography was done for all cases. In selected cases, 1VU, voiding cystourethragraphy, DMSA scan and renal biopsy were done The prevalence of MH was 1.9%. Glomerular group represented 14% and included, acute post streptococcal glomerulonephritis, APSGN [9%], IgA nephropathy [3%] and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis [2%], non-glomerular group represented 42% of the studied cases and included UTI [24%], hypercalciuria [14%], renal stone [2%], UPJ obstruction [1%] and VUR [1%] and group of unidentified cause of MH [44%] who had no MH after 6 months of follow up Dipsticks can be used as a useful screening test for MH; however this should be confirmed by microscopic examination of the urine. The most common glomerular cause of MH in the event study was APSGN whereas the most common nonglomerular cause was UTI and hypercalciuria. Follow up is recommended for cases of MH with unidentified origin. MH is positively suggested as reliable simple, however preliminary tool in clinical diagnosis of renal and urological disorders