Kidney stones are one of the most commonly occurring urinary system diseases. Every year one in ten people might have to go for an emergency surgery owing to the formation of a kidney stone.
Kidney stones are mineral and salt-based hard deposits that develop inside your kidneys.
From there, they can enter the urinary tract, sometimes obstructing it, and may impact any section of the urinary tract, from the kidneys to the bladder.
In the long run, you can get a painful and terminal illness as a result of this. Although if they are recognized on time, they cause no permanent damage to your body.
We give you thorough information on the potential causes, signs, and treatments for kidney stones
in this blog.
The Most Common Causes of Kidney Stones:
In rare cases, you may have inherited disorders that contribute to the development of kidney stones.
Other than this, there are a number of other causes of kidney stone illness.
The other causes could be linked to your diet habits, people who take a more protein-dependent diet and sodium-rich diet often suffer from a frequent formation of stones in the urinary tracts.
Excess body weight, that is weight generally greater than your usual body mass index (BMI), some medical conditions, and certain supplements & medications are among the many causes of kidney stones.
Kidney stones: Symptoms
It will not cause any significant symptoms for a long time until it moves around within the kidney or passes into one of the ureters. Ureters are the adjoining pipes that connect the kidney to the urinary bladder and help pass out urine.
The existence of a kidney stone inside one of the two ureters could obstruct urine flow, and in most situations, this would cause the kidney to expand and result in kidney spasms. For many people, this condition may end up being painful.
The most common symptoms that symbolize the presence of a kidney stone in the body are:
- Severe, stabbing pain below the ribcage, on the side and back
- Radiating discomfort in the groin and lower abdomen
- Fluctuating & varying intensity of pain
- Urination that causes pain or burning
Other common symptoms include:
- Pink, red, or brown urine
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
- A persistent need to urinate
- Nausea & vomiting
- Fever & chills in case of a urinary infection
You can avoid the discomfort and harm that kidney stones cause by promptly analyzing some of the uncommon symptoms indicated above.
The next step after recognizing the symptoms is to seek a diagnosis to confirm the presence of a kidney stone and to undergo potential treatment if there are any large stones present.
Kidney Stones: diagnosis and treatment
The early diagnosis could be by analyzing the medical history, physical examination, or imaging tests.
A few of the other tests that you are required to go through in order to confirm the presence of kidney
stones are:
- Blood testing: your doctor might take your blood sample for testing, too much calcium or uric acid in
your blood indicates the possibility of the formation of a kidney stone in the body.
- Urine testing: the 24-hour urine collection test may depict that you are excreting too many stones,
forming minerals, or too few stone-preventing substances.
- Imaging tests: high-speed or dual energy computerized tomography (CT) may reveal even tiny stones.
Another alternative for diagnosing kidney stones is ultrasound, a rapid and simple noninvasive procedure.
Treatment of kidney stones varies depending
on the type of stone and the cause.
Small stones with minimal symptoms do not need intrusive treatment; they can be readily removed from the body by drinking enough water.
Other treatments include the use of drugs, mainly painkillers like ibuprofen to lessen the pain. In some circumstances, the doctor may opt for medical treatment to aid in the stone’s passage by utilizing medication.
Larger kidney stones may require more focused care, including the use of sound waves to break up stones and various surgical techniques to remove very large kidney stones if they can’t pass naturally or if they cause bleeding, kidney damage, or recurring UTIs.
Disclaimer : This website does not provide medical advice.