Asymptomatic microscopic hematuria.

A retrospective chart review was performed in a family-practice office, which looked at the prevalence and significance of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria (AMH). Various methods were used to identify the relevant charts and to define the practice demographics, some of which hitherto had not been described. At least 2% of the men and 5% of the women over 44 years old in the practice were found to have AMH; in none of these patients, however, were any significant urological abnormalities detected. The literature states that AMH is a significant indicator of underlying pathology and deserves a full urological evaluation. The results of this pilot study suggests that in a family-practice setting, the prevalence of serious but asymptomatic urinary tract disease, and hence the positive predictive value of AMH, may be very low.