Warning signs or not: You need to take blood in your urine or stool so seriously

What research provides clarity?
First of all, it is checked whether the urine contains red and white blood cells and whether it contains the infection parameter nitrite, sugar or protein. These values ​​may indicate an infection. Kidneys, upper urinary tract, bladder and prostate are examined with ultrasound device. If the source of blood in the urine cannot be adequately illuminated, further measures such as cystoscopy should be taken. Depending on the findings, it is checked microscopically whether there are cancer cells in the urine.

Who is particularly at risk?
Reitz told Blick that smoking is the main risk factor for bladder cancer, but occupational exposure to chemicals can also be a cause. For example, painters, polishers and workers in metal or chemical companies who are exposed to chemicals containing certain hydrocarbons for a long time are particularly at risk. Hairdressers working with hair dyes and chemicals are also at risk.

How worried do I have to be?
Blood in the stool is harmless but can also indicate serious illness. According to Reitz, anyone who can see with the naked eye in the toilet should consult a gastrologist or proctologist immediately. Studies show that in such a situation, women allow an average of four days, and men ten days. Both are early enough, Reitz says. But most men suppress the threatening problem for months or years, and it’s often too late for treatment. This is especially true for prostate cancer. “I am regularly visited by men in their early 60s whose fathers died of cancer, who had never had a pre-examination, and who are now cancer patients.”

What can the sign warn me about?
In the best case, hemorrhoids or rectal injuries, in the worst case, colon cancer. This type of cancer in men is the most common type of cancer after prostate cancer and lung cancer. One in eight tumor diseases affects them.

What research provides clarity?
Colonoscopy is the only reliable examination that can detect tumors in the gut, and it does so at a stage where they are not yet malignant. However, screening should be considered if blood is seen in the stool. Anyone who has direct ancestors with colon cancer should have a colonoscopy from age 40, and the rest should have a colonoscopy from age 50. There are also scans where blood that cannot be seen with the naked eye is examined in a stool sample. It is intended for people who do not want to undergo an endoscopy and who have the great disadvantage of not being able to identify tumors at an early stage with sufficient precision.

Who is particularly at risk?
People who eat unhealthy or are fed in a way that causes stool to remain in the intestines for a long time before being expelled are at risk. Alcohol consumption, obesity, hereditary predisposition and inflammatory bowel disease are other risk factors.