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An unexpected cause of macroscopic haematuria

John S Lubel, Louise M Burrell and Vicki Levidiotis
Med J Aust 2005; 183 (6): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb07064.x
Published online: 19 September 2005

A 25-year-old man presented with macroscopic haematuria associated with a body mass index of 20 kg/m2 and a severe coagulopathy consistent with vitamin K deficiency. The diagnosis of a profound malabsorption syndrome secondary to coeliac disease was confirmed by small bowel histology and positive coeliac serology.

A 25-year-old man presented to our hospital’s emergency department with frank haematuria and bilateral loin pain. He had been unwell for 10 days with abdominal pain and vomiting. Two days before presentation, he sought medical attention and was prescribed naproxen for the abdominal pain (he only took two of these tablets); he was on no other medications. Two years previously, a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome had been made by his doctor, based on a history of loose bowel motions over 2 years and a normal colonoscopy.


  • 1 Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC.
  • 2 Department of Nephrology, Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC.


Correspondence: 

Acknowledgements: 

We thank Dr P A Atkin, Consultant/Honorary Senior Lecturer in Oral Medicine, Cardiff Dental Hospital and School, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK, for his kind contribution of the photograph of angular cheilitis.

Competing interests:

None identified.

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