Proteinuria and Haematuria in children

An understanding of a recommended management pathway for proteinuria and for haematuria in children.

Proteinuria is the presence of protein (namely albumin) in the urine. It may be an incidental or unexpected finding during a urine test as part of a routine health check (or check for another condition), or may be found when deliberately checking for urinary protein in certain clinical presentations. 

Currently there is no available New Zealand-specific guidance around approaching proteinuria in children in primary care. This module seeks to fill that gap and provide primary care clinicians with summarised applicable guidance to approach this.

Haematuria is the presence of red blood cells (RBCs) in the urine (>5 x 106 red cells or 1+ on dipstick). It is a benign incidental finding in most cases (false positives are common), and microscopic haematuria usually resolves within 6 months in otherwise well children.

Acknowledgements

This content was created by Connie Kang BPharm(Hons) and reviewed by Dr Robin Erickson (MD, PhD, FRCPC, FRACP, Clinical Lead-Paediatric Kidney Services, Paediatric Nephrologist, Starship Hospital) and Dr Hazel Fuiava (MBChB, DipPaeds).