What are Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are a condition that both males and females can suffer from, where certain substances that are in your urine form into a solid hard lump within your kidney. Kidney stones are also known as renal calculi. Kidney stones then pass through the bladder and are removed along with the urine and can cause a lot of discomfort.

The formation of kidney stones starts in the renal pelvis. When the urine transfers from the kidneys to the bladder through very narrow tubes known as the ureter, kidney stones can also be taken with it. They are expelled with the urine when an individual urinates. Some stones are so miniscule and tiny that they cause no symptoms at all and some are so large that they can cause great pain and discomfort to the individual who has to face the symptoms.

The pain that kidney stones cause is usually felt on one side of the body and can last from just a few hours to a few days until it is out of the system. Once the stone has passed through ones system the pain then subsides and the condition is over. People can have kidney stones recur over and over again due to certain conditions one can suffer from. Kidney stones are most common among middle aged white men and treatment usually involves relieving pain through medication which either dissolves or completely removes existing stones in an attempt to prevent the recurrence.

One may know that they suffer from renal calculi if they experience any of the following symptoms. These symptoms include pain that is sometimes excruciating and begins in the lower back directly below the ribs and it travels downward. Men usually feel the most pain when the stone begins to travel through their testicles and penis. When the time finally comes that the stone needs to be passed the urine will usually be difficult to pass with frequent small streams. The urine will sometimes be bloody or darkened and may burn when urine begins to pass through the system. Nausea and vomiting may occur and one may get a fever due to a bacterial infection.

The cause of kidney stones is due to low urine volume and stones are formed. Other reasons are found through hereditary factors. Increased calcium in the urine can form kidney stones. High blood calcium levels that can lead to hypercalciuria and can form stones. Other diseases can cause kidney stones such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel disease. A diet with high oxalate can cause stones to form. The most common cause of kidney stones is excessively acidic urine. In some cases it is unknown why a stone forms with some individuals.

To prevent kidney stones from forming you must drink a lot of water a day to keep the amount of urine substantially large and having the movement of urine through the bladder more excessive. It’s said that you need to drink 8 to 10 cups of water to have enough liquid to try and avoid kidney stones. A healthy, well balanced diet is important also so your body will have the right vitamins and nutrients in order to have your organs perform their tasks correctly. To prevent a stone from forming again, your doctor may advise that you change your diet around to compensate for what you are getting too much of or not enough of. To decrease urine acidity a doctor may prescribe potassium citrate. Whatever the composition of the stone is will determine the type of medication prescribed in order to prevent future kidney stones from forming within an individual.

If you have a kidney stone, the only way to get through it is to treat it in a way that it will pass with ease. The best way of doing this is to drink a lot of water, as much as three liters a day in order to properly flush the stone out in a quick and as painlessly as possible. Antibiotics and pain killers will help in the passing and in some cases with bigger stones hospitalization may be needed. Sometimes in order to help the ureter muscles to relax, doctors will prescribe antispasmodic drugs.

With larger stones sometimes a special treatment is used called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy in which case sound waves are shot at the area of the stone which helps break it up making it easier to pass through the bladder. In the worst cases surgery can be performed in order to remove the stone if it can possibly cause damage to someone while it passes. In the worst case, the removal of a kidney may be required since the body does only need one kidney in order to perform correctly.

Author Bio: Madison Alexander is a contributing editor and researcher for the website AZ Symptoms, an online encyclopedia medical symptoms reference site. Visit our site to learn more about kidney stone symptoms.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: kidney stone symptoms, cause of kidney stones, what are kidney stones