Kidney Stones, Its Symptoms, Causes, & Treatment

Know details on the signs & symptoms of kidney stones, and its cause, and treatment. Note that all people do not develop stones. A person with a family history of kidney stones is more likely to develop them.

What are Kidney Stones?

The Kidney Stone Problem

A kidney stone is a hard solid mass of material that forms in the kidney from the substances in the urine. In most cases, the stone contains calcium and either oxalate or phosphate. Urine contains chemicals that prevent the formation of crystals. In some people, however, these chemicals do not work properly, so they form stones.

Tiny stones can travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body in the urine. Larger stones may not pass through ureter (the tube connecting kidneys and bladder), the bladder or the urethra (the tube from which urine leaves). A large stone can block the flow of urine causing too much pain.

The different medical names of stones are urolithiasis, nephrolithiasis, kidney stones, struvite or infection stone, uric acid stones, cystine stones, etc.

For unknown reasons, the stones occur more frequently in men after the age of 40.

Note that gallstones and kidney stones are not the same, they are not related as they form in different areas of the body. If you have a gallstone, you may not necessarily likely to develop kidney stones.

The cause of kidney stone is not exactly known for a person. You may not know the reason of your stones in kidney. The amount of acid or alkali in the urine is the main cause in stone formation. Stones are formed when the urine becomes highly concentrated due to insufficient intake of fluids. Our kidneys remove wastes like uric acid, urea, and lactic acid dissolved in water. When the amount of water you drink is low, these wastes are not removed effectively and kidney damage may result. As a general rule, an adult should drink about 35ml of water per kilogram of his body weight.

The following may be the possible causes or reasons for the formation of kidney stones:

1. Calcium stone which is composed primarily of calcium oxalate, is common. They can be caused by too much salt in diet.
2. Certain foods may promote stone formation in people who are susceptible to stones. Excessive intake of acid forming foods and foods with simple carbohydrates such as white flour, sugar, etc.
3. Certain kidney disorders such as cystic kidney diseases. Cystine stones develop in families with an inherited condition that leads to an excess of the chemical cystine in the urine.
4. Certain metabolic disorders such as hyperparathyroidism, cystinuria, hyperoxaluria. Check for the defects in the general metabolism.
5. A rare hereditary disease called renal tubular acidosis.
6. Uric acid stones may be caused by a high-protein diet.

Small tiny kidney stones do not cause any symptoms. Larger size stones may produce following symptoms or signs:

1. Severe pain when a stone blocks the flow of urine.
2. A sharp, cramping pain in the back and side in the area of the kidney.
3. Pain in the lower abdomen and/or groin. The pain usually begins in lower back and later, moves to your side or groin. The pain can either be on the left side or right side, depending upon the location of the kidney stone.
4. Burning sensation on urination as the stone moves down the ureter.
5. Need to urinate more often
6. Blood in the urine
7. Nausea and vomiting

If you have fever and chills with any of the above symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately as it may be due to infection in kidney or urinary tract.

Diagnosis of Kidney Stones

1. X ray or sonogram/ultrasound examination during a general health check up may show stones. These examinations give information about the stone's size and its location.

2. Computed tomography scan or intravenous pyelogram can detect stones.
3. Blood and urine tests can detect any unwanted substance that can promote stone formation.

Surgery is not always necessary. There are other possibilities for treating the stones. If the stones are small (4 mm or less), they would pass out in the urine unnoticed by drinking plenty of water or fluids. Larger stones need proper treatment to get rid of them.

If you have more than one kidney stone, you are likely to form another; so prevention is very important. For this, your doctor must determine their cause of formation. Save any passed stone and send it to a test laboratory for its analysis along with your urine and blood. This will help in the treatment.

1. For calcium stones: Avoid taking calcium in pill form. Foods high in calcium, including dairy products, may help prevent calcium stones.
   Avoid food with added vitamin D and calcium based antacids. If you have very acidic urine, you should eat less meat, fish, and poultry.
2. For cystine stones: Drink enough water each day to dilute the concentration of cystine. You will need to drink 3 litre of water during the day and 1 litre during the night. It is, however, very difficult to drink so much water.

3. Avoid foods and drinks containing oxalate. If your urine sample reveals excess of oxalate, then reduce the consumption of foods like beets, chocolate, coffee, cola, nuts, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries (all types of berries), tea, wheat bran, etc.
   
   

   In general, the following foods may increase the risk of stones, if you are prone to stones.
   apple juice, berries, chocolate, cocoa, grapefruit juice, peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, tomato juice, soda and tea

   
   
4. Medical Treatment of Kidney Stones: Certain medications can prevent formation of calcium and uric acid stones. Some diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide decrease the amount of calcium released by the kidneys into the urine.
   If drinking more fluids do not control cystine stones, your doctor may prescribe drugs such as Cuprimine or Thiola.
   Other medications are also available for curing kidney stones.
5. Surgical Treatment: If other treatment do not work, then surgery is the option. Surgery may be considered if the stone is too large to pass on its own or if it blocks the flow of urine. Surgery also becomes necessary if the stones are damaging kidney tissue or causing constant bleeding.
6. Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (ESWL): Shock waves are created outside the body to hit the stones. This breaks the stones break into small particles which are easily passed through the urine. This technique is very quick and the patient can resume normal activities in a few days.
7. Endoscopic lithotripsy: Endoscopic lithotripsy using ultrasonic, ballistic or laser energy can directly fragment and remove the stones. It is also used for treatment of stones in the ureter and bladder.
8. Home Remedy of Kidney Stones

For More Information

American Foundation for Urologic Disease: www.afud.org
American Urological Association: www.urologyhealth.org
National Kidney Foundation: www.kidney.org

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The content on this website is reviewed regularly and is updated when new information is made available. The information provided is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always seek the advice of your Doctor.