Proven Information About Kidney Stones

What are kidney stones?

The kidneys are responsible for purifying the blood and removing waste products through urine. If your urine contains too many minerals and salts and not enough water to dissolve them, they can clump together and form kidney stones.

The minerals and salts that most commonly form kidney stones are calcium, oxalate, uric acid, cystine, and phosphate.

Why do kidney stones occur?

Kidney stones usually form from a combination of several factors, including:

• Diet and lifestyle: Not drinking enough water, eating a diet high in salt or animal protein, drinking too many sugary drinks, and eating too many foods high in oxalic acid (such as spinach, beets, nuts, chocolate, etc.).
• Medications and Supplements: Frequent use of high doses of vitamin C, calcium supplements (especially when taken without food), laxatives, and certain medications (such as topiramate for migraines or seizures or some HIV medications)
• Certain Medical Disorders: Conditions such as obesity, hyperparathyroidism, chronic diarrhea or malabsorption (including inflammatory bowel disease), gout, recurrent urinary tract infections, and rare genetic disorders such as primary hyperoxaluria (where the body produces too much oxalate).
• genetics: If someone in your family has one or more kidney stones

How many types of kidney stones are there?

There are four types of kidney stones:

• calcium stones: This is the most common type of kidney stone. Most of them are calcium oxalate stones. Oxalates are produced in the body and can also be found in some foods (spinach, nuts, chocolate, etc.). Calcium phosphate stones are uncommon and may be associated with certain metabolic disorders or medications (including those used to prevent migraines or seizures).
• uric acid stone: Uric acid stones can form when urine is persistently acidic. Risk factors include gout, dehydration, chronic diarrhea, diabetes, and a diet high in purines (found in foods such as tripe and some shellfish).
• Struvite calculation: Struvite stones (sometimes called infection stones) may form after a urinary tract infection caused by certain bacteria. They can grow and grow rapidly in size.
• Cystine calculation: Cystine stones are a product of a rare genetic disorder called cystinuria. This causes too much cystine to leak into the urine.

What are the symptoms of kidney stones?

Kidney stones can cause symptoms if they travel into the ureters, a group of tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder. One of the first symptoms is sudden, severe pain that:

• Sharp pain in the side of the chest, back, and under the ribs.
• Pain that spreads to the lower abdomen and groin
• Pain or burning when urinating

Pain may be intermittent or vary in intensity. And as the kidney stone moves through the urinary tract, the pain may also travel in that direction.

Other symptoms of kidney stones include:

• pink, red, or brown urine
• Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
• A persistent feeling of needing to urinate, urinating more often than usual, or urinating small amounts
• nausea or vomiting
• Fever and chills (If you have a fever and chills, call your doctor right away. This may be a sign of infection.)

Do kidney stones cause complications?

Most people recover from kidney stones without long-term problems. However, it can sometimes cause complications, especially if it blocks the flow of urine or causes infection. People with recurrent stones may be at higher risk for chronic kidney disease. Studies have also identified a link between kidney stones and conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and low bone mineral density, but these associations do not necessarily mean that stones directly cause these conditions.

that Is there a cure for kidney stones?

Most kidney stones pass when you urinate without any further action. This process can be very uncomfortable or painful, so your doctor may prescribe medications to help the stones pass more easily and reduce nausea, vomiting, and pain.

If your kidney stone is too large to pass without additional measures, you will likely need a procedure to break up or remove the stone.

shock wave lithotripsy: Shock waves are used to break stones into smaller pieces so they can pass with urine.

ureteroscope: A thin ureteroscope is inserted through the urethra and bladder into the ureter. You can break the stones with a laser and remove the pieces with a small basket. Sometimes a temporary catheter is inserted to maintain urine flow while the swelling goes down.

percutaneous nephrolithotomy: Used for larger or more complex calculations. The surgeon makes a small incision in the back and uses an endoscope to reach the kidney to break up the stone and remove the fragments.

Laparoscopic or open surgery: Surgery for kidney stones is currently very rare, but may be used in special cases when other treatments are not an option.