Family Nurse Practitioner Exam

All of the following are differential diagnoses for microscopic hematuria except:

1. Kidney stones

2. Bladder cancer

3. Acute pyelonephritis

4. Renal stenosis

The correct answer is: Renal stenosis

Microscopic hematuria, which is the presence of red blood cells in the urine that cannot be seen with the naked eye, can be associated with several conditions affecting the urinary tract and kidneys. The differential diagnoses for microscopic hematuria include kidney stones, bladder cancer, and acute pyelonephritis because these conditions directly impact the urinary system and can lead to bleeding. In the context of renal stenosis, while it can cause symptoms associated with kidney dysfunction or hypertension, it is not typically associated with hematuria. Renal stenosis refers to the narrowing of the renal artery, which generally leads to renal ischemia and hypertension rather than bleeding within the urinary tract. Therefore, it is not a common cause of microscopic hematuria and does not fit within the expected differential diagnoses. Hence, renal stenosis stands out as the exception in this list.