Kidney stones can be successfully treated with medicines and few diet changes

Did you know that? One in ten people will get a kidney stone during their lifetime.

Kidney stones or renal calculi, are hard deposits made of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys. These stones often form when the urine becomes concentrated, allowing minerals to crystallize and stick together. Kidney stones can affect any part of the urinary tract, extending from the kidneys to bladder.

Excess body weight, diet, family history, certain medical conditions are among the many causes for the formation of kidney stones.

Causes Of Kidney Stones

A kidney stone usually forms when substances that are normally found in the urine, such as calcium, oxalate, cystine, or uric acid, are high in urine. They form crystals, which attach to the kidney and gradually increase in size to form a stone.

Types of Kidney Stones

Calcium stones: 80%of stones formed in the kidneys are calcium stones, most of which are calcium oxalate and few calcium phosphates.

Calcium can bind with oxalate to form calcium-oxalate stones. Oxalate is a substance made daily by your liver or absorbed from your diet. Certain factors may boost calcium-oxalate stone formation such as low intake of water, eating certain foods high in oxalate content such as spinach, chocolate, nuts etc.  taking high doses of vitamin D, high salt intake in your diet etc.

Calcium binds with phosphates to form calcium phosphate stones. Phosphate is a chemical compound found in foods such as milk, eggs, and chocolate. For some people, calcium phosphate stones form as a result of a medical condition known as renal tubular acidosis as well as a result of taking certain medicines.

Struvite stones: Infections, especially in the urinary tract, can cause this kind of stone.

Uric acid stones:  Consuming large amounts of animal protein, such as meat and fish can lead to uric acid buildup in your urine which can eventually form a stone either with or without calcium. Gout, diabetes, and certain genetic factors can increase your risk.

Cystine stones. About 1 in 7,000 people worldwide get cystine kidney stones. These stones form in people with a hereditary disorder called Cystinuria, that causes the kidneys to excrete too much of the amino acid cystine.

Symptoms of Kidney Stones

Some stones can remain in your kidneys for years without ever causing symptoms.  Sometimes, the kidney stone can travel down the ureter.  The ureters are the tubes that connect the kidneys and bladder. Most small stones, may pass out of your body through your urine. A larger kidney stone, on the other hand, may get stuck in your ureter and block urine flow. You may notice symptoms, including:

• Pain or burning sensation while urinating
• Severe, sharp pain in your side or back, below the ribs
• Pain that radiates to the lower abdomen and groin
• Waves of severe pain, that fluctuates in severity
• Cloudy, pink, red, or brown, or foul-smelling urine
• A constant urge to urinate, urinating more often than usual or urinating in small amounts
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever and chills if you have an infection

Complications of Kidney Stones

Most small kidney stones, may pass out of your body through your urine. However, stones that do not pass out of the body can cause complications if left untreated such as:

• Urinary tract infections
• Obstruction or blockage in the urinary tract
• A buildup of urine, which puts additional strain on the kidneys
• Increased risk of developing kidney disease