Kidney Stones: Causes || Symptoms || Effects || Preventive measures || Treatment
In this article, you are going to explore the causes, symptoms, effects, preventive measures, and treatment of kidney stones thoroughly.
Kidney Stones
The stones are hard deposits consisting of minerals and salts. Nephrolithiasis, renal calculi, and urolithiasis are other names for stones.
It's quite painful to pass kidney stones, but stones usually don't cause permanent damage, as long as they're recognized in a timely fashion. In some cases, passing a kidney stone involves nothing more than taking pain medication and drinking a lot of water. Some stones may need to be surgically removed if they become lodged in the urinary tract, resulting in an infection, or causing complications.
The most common causes of kidney stones are diet, obesity, medical conditions, and certain supplements. Whether it's your kidneys or your bladder, kidney stones can occur anywhere along with your urinary system. A stone forms when minerals crystallize and stick together due to concentrated urine.
If you have an increased risk of developing kidney stones again, your doctor may recommend treatment to reduce the chances of developing them again.
What are kidney stones?
There are many salts and minerals dissolved in urine. These minerals and salts can form stones in the urine if their levels are high. Although initially, kidney stones may be small in size, with the passage of time, their size can grow larger and larger, even to fill the kidney’s inner hollow structures.
There are some kidney stones that stay in the kidney without causing any major harm to the kidneys. These kidney stones sometimes travel down to the ureter, then to the bladder, and then just pass out in urine from the body. If somehow these kidney stones lodge in the ureter, it causes blockage for the kidney’s urine flow and hence results in pain.
What are Kidney Stones Made of?
There are many different types and colors of kidney stones. Depending on the type of stone you have, you will have to treat it differently and prevent new stones from forming.
Calcium stones (80%)
Calcium stone is one of the most common types of kidney stone. These are further divided into two types which are calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate.
Among these calcium oxalate is the most common type. There are some people whose urine is too high in the amount of calcium, which causes to raise the risk of developing calcium stones. In spite of normal urine calcium levels, calcium stones may still form due to other factors.
Uric acid stones (5 to 10%)
Uric acid is a nitrogenous waste product produced from metabolic reactions in the body. In acidic urine, the crystals of Uric acid do not dissolve well, and instead of dissolving they will concentrate to form a uric acid stone. Urine may become acidic due to:
Low in fruits and vegetables and high in animal protein diet
Obesity
Chronic diarrhea
Gout
Type 2 diabetes
Infection stones/Struvite (10%)
Struvite stones are one of the less common types of stone. UTIs (chronic urinary tract infections) are associated with these stones. Due to some bacteria, the basic or alkaline nature of urine increases, making it less acidic. Struvite stones (Magnesium ammonium phosphate) develop in alkaline urine. These stones are often with branches, large in size, and grow rapidly.
Cystine stones (less than 1%)
Cystine, one of the building blocks of protein, is an amino acid present in certain foods. A high level of cystine in the urine (Cystinuria) is a rare, metabolic disorder that is inherited. It occurs when the kidneys are not able to reabsorb cystine from the urine, which results in stones formation due to Cystinuria. These stones usually initiate to form in childhood.
What are the Symptoms of kidney stones?
Symptoms usually don't appear until a kidney stone moves within your kidney or passes into your ureters. The ureters may become blocked if it becomes lodged there. It can cause swelling of the kidneys and spasms in the ureters that lead to severe pain. At that stage, the following signs and symptoms may appear:
Sharp and severe pain below the ribs, in the back and sides,
Radiating pain that reaches the lower abdomen and groin
Intensity fluctuating pain that comes in waves
During urination, the sensation of burning and pain
Following are some other signs and symptoms:
The urine of brown, red, or pink colored
The urine appears cloudy with a foul smell
In small amounts but the frequent need for urination continuously.
Vomiting and Nausea
In the presence of infection fever with chill.
With the shifting of stones in the urinary tract, pain may also shift.
In children, what are the symptoms of kidney stones?
Blood in the urine or pain is the most common symptom of kidney stones. A stone's size and location determine where and how much pain your child experiences.
Other symptoms are:
- An excruciating colicky pain.
- Stone blockage in the urinary tract hinders urination ability
- Vomiting or Nausea.
- The urine appears cloudy with a foul smell
- Weakness, fever, or chills due to a serious infection.
- Bloody urine.
What are the Risk factors or Causes of kidney stones?
Making less than 1 liter of urine daily is the greatest risk factor for kidney stones. This is the reason due to which premature infants with kidney problems commonly develop kidney stones. However, people between the ages of 20 and 50 are most likely to develop kidney stones.
Additionally, the role of gender is important. According to research, men are more likely to develop kidney stones than women.
You are more likely to develop kidney stones if you have a history of them. You may also inherit a tendency to develop kidney stones.
There are also many other risk factors which are mentioned below:
Dehydration
Obesity
High protein, salt, or glucose diet
Hyperparathyroidism
Bypass surgery of the gastric.
Increase calcium absorption due to bowel inflammation
Triamterene diuretics, calcium-based medications and antiseizure drugs
When to see a doctor?
If you experience any of the following signs or symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor.
Medical attention should be sought if you experience:
Can't sit in a comfortable position due to severe pain
Vomiting and nausea with pain
Fever and chills with pain
Bloody urine
Difficulty during urination
How kidney stones are treated
Kidney stones are treated according to the type of stones. To diagnose the type of stones urine is strained and stones are collected for evaluation.
It could be necessary to provide intravenous fluids to dehydrated or nauseated people. It can be done by drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day to increase urine flow.
There are some other treatment options which are:
Medication
Narcotic medications can help to relieve pain. While antibiotics should be taken in the presence of an infection. In addition, the other medications are the following:
For uric acid stones, use Zyloprim (allopurinol)
To prevent calcium stones formation, use thiazide diuretics
To make the less acidic urine, use sodium citrate or sodium bicarbonate
To prevent calcium stones formation, use phosphorus solutions
For pain use Advil (ibuprofen).
For pain use Tylenol (acetaminophen).
For pain use Aleve (naproxen sodium).
Lithotripsy
Tunnel surgery (percutaneous nephrolithotomy)
By making a small incision in your back, your surgeon removes the stones. This procedure may be used when:
Stones obstruct the kidneys and cause infection or damage
There is no way to pass the stone now because it is too large
Unmanageable pain
Ureteroscopy
Through the urethra, a thin wire attached to a camera is passed into the bladder. A small cage is then used to snag and remove the stone. Then for analysis, this stone is sent to the lab.
How kidney stones can be prevented?
lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, and fruit juices can be substituted for water to increase your fluid intake. Citrate juices should be taken if the stones are related to low citrate levels. You should reduce your intake of salt and animal protein and eat oxalate-rich foods in moderation to lower the risk of kidney stones.
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