Infographic: Everything You Need to Know About Kidney Stones

Everything You Need to Know About Kidney Stones

People sometimes may have kidney stones for several years without experiencing severe symptoms. The stones may pass out in urine with little pain and just a few mild-to-moderate symptoms. However, whether you have not had a kidney stone or only experienced a little pain when passing a stone, it is advisable to take precautionary steps to avoid more serious problems. For example, eating certain types of foods such as large amounts of lemons and oranges may cause kidney stones. But before eliminating various food items from your diet, you should consult a urologist. The urologist will conduct a proper evaluation of your current health status and provide clear guidance on which foods may cause kidney stones.

Common symptoms

A kidney stone often shows no symptoms until it has moved into the ureter. And when symptoms finally show, they commonly include:

  • Sudden, severe pain in the groin or in the side of your abdomen
  • A burning sensation during urination
  • Pain and difficulty during urination
  • A persistent urge to urinate
  • Reduced quantity of urine excreted
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Blood in urine
  • Pus/white blood cells in urine
  • Chills and fever (if there is an infection)
  • Causes of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones typically vary in size, with some capable of growing as large as golf balls. The most common cause of the stones is lack of water in the body. The condition is often found in people who drink less than the recommended 8-10 glasses of water per day. When there is inadequate water in the body to dilute uric acid (a core component of urine), the urine will become more acidic and create a perfect environment for formation of the stones. Medical conditions like renal tubular acidosis, Dent’s disease, medullary sponge kidney, hyperparathyroidism, urinary tract infections and Crohn’s disease also increase the risk of kidney stones.

For prevention of kidney stones, you should:

  • Drink 2.5-3 liters of water every day
  • Reduce sodium or salt intake in your diet
  • Follow a healthy diet and avoid red meat. Daily or frequent consumption of red meat may cause kidney stones.
  • Exercise regularly and make sure to get enough sleep
  • Quit smoking and avoid alcohol
  • Treatment for kidney stones

The treatment is usually focused on managing the symptoms since passing a stone may be really painful. In the hospital, a urologist may choose:

  • Rehydration via an intravenous tube, accompanied with anti-inflammatory medication. Narcotics may be used to reduce the pain of passing the stones while antiemetic medication may be given to stop nausea and vomiting.
  • Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) may be performed by a urologist to break a kidney stone into small pieces to enable it to pass.
  • Laser surgery with ureteroscopy may be performed for large stones located in areas that do not allow for lithotripsy.
  • PNL/PCNL, flexible ureteroscopy, also may be considered by a urologist.

At St. Pete Urology, we offer many options and state-of-the-art facilities for successful treatment of kidney stones. For more information, visit the site, St Pete Urology.

Causes of Kidney Stones and Treatment Options

The United States has been experiencing a rise in the number of people with kidney stones over the last 30 years. While less than 4 percent of the population had the disease in the late 1970s, the portion of the population with the disease increased to over 5 percent by the early 1990s, and today 1 in 11 Americans has kidney stones. The stones occur more frequently in men than women, with Caucasians being more prone to developing the stones than African Americans.

The prevalence of the stones increases dramatically as men reach their 40s and continues to increase into their 70s. But for women, the occurrence of the stones peaks in their 50s. After a person gets more than one stone, the chance of other stones developing increases radically.

What causes kidney stones?

The major cause of kidney stones is a lack of fluids in the body, which allows minerals and salts to concentrate and crystallize over weeks or months to form the stones. Most often, the stones result from a build-up of certain chemicals in the body, such as ammonia, calcium, uric acid or cysteine. You are more likely to have kidney stones if you do not drink enough fluids.

It is also believed that high-oxalate foods such as spinach, peanuts, sweet potatoes, chocolate, okra, black Indian tea, wheat germ, beets and rhubarb, may increase the risk of developing kidney stones. In the South, often referred to as the stone belt, people tend to be dehydrated in the summer and drink a lot of tea, increasing the chances of developing stones.

You are also more likely to have kidney stones if you:

  • Are between 30-50 years old
  • Have a family history of kidney stones
  • Have hypercalciuria (unusually high amounts of calcium in urine).
  • Are taking certain medicines, such as diuretics (like triamterene) or protease inhibitors (like indinavir)
  • Are taking too much antacids, calcium, vitamin C or vitamin D supplements.
  • Have metabolic syndrome (a combination of many heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure, high sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels and obesity)
  • Have a condition such as hyperthyroidism, gout or high blood pressure
  • Have cystitis
  • Have a condition that affects the structure or shape of your ureters or kidneys

Even though small kidney stones are often asymptomatic and may pass with little or no pain, large stones that block the urine’s path may cause severe symptoms. These could include sharp pain in the lower back or abdomen, painful urination, fever and chills, nausea and vomiting, blood in urine, and abnormally colored urine. It is important to visit your urologist if you experience such symptoms. The urologist will order blood and urine tests and imaging, and recommend appropriate treatment.

At St Pete Urology in St. Petersburg, we use minimally-invasive techniques and have a wide array of treatment options for kidney stones. If you think you may have kidney stones or have questions about the condition, visit the St Pete Urology website.

7 Common Symptoms of Kidney Stone and Treatment Options

The symptoms of kidney stones are largely determined by the size of the stones. For small kidney stones, the symptoms may be mild. In fact, small stones may go undetected and pass out of the body painlessly during urination. The most common symptom of kidney stones is pain which begins as a vague sensation then becomes sharp and severe as ureter muscles contract and relax around the stones. Initially, the pain is felt on the flanks or on the sides of the body, between the pelvis and ribs, including the lower back and upper abdomen. Later it moves to the groin or testicles as the kidney stone moves through the urinary tract.

Generally, the symptoms of kidney stones follow the migration of the stone across the urinary tract. The symptoms will depend on whether the stone gets stuck in the kidney, begins to travel down the ureter, or causes an infection.

Therefore, depending on the size of the stone, symptoms may include:

  • Sharp, persistent and severe ache in the side and back, often below the ribs
  • Pain which spreads to the groin and lower abdomen
  • Pain occurring in waves and with fluctuating intensity
  • Pain when passing urine
  • Restlessness and inability to lie still
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Red, pink or brown urine
  • Foul smelling or cloudy urine
  • Urge to pass urine more often than usual
  • Urinating small quantities of urine
  • Chills and fevers if there is an infection

Blood in urine, often caused by the stone scratching the ureter or kidney
A kidney stone may cause an infection when it has blocked the ureter, preventing waste products from passing the blockage and resulting in bacterial build-up. It is the infection that causes symptoms such as fever, chills and shivering, diarrhea, foul smelling and cloudy urine, and fatigue.

Symptoms of Kidney Stone and Treatment OptionsIf you have these symptoms, it is important to see a physician, preferably a urologist. The doctor will perform a medical and symptomatic history, give a physical exam and order the necessary tests to confirm the presence of kidney stones and determine their size, location and appropriate treatment. The tests may include blood tests (like uric acid, calcium and phosphorous), tests for stone-forming salt crystals, infections, blood cells and stone factors, kidney function tests, and imaging tests (kidney ultrasounds, CT scans, MRI scans, abdominal X-rays and intravenous pyelograms). The urologist will recommend appropriate treatment after confirming the presence of stones.

If small, less-troublesome stones are detected, the urologist may recommend drinking 8-16 cups of water to flush them out. Along with the recommendation to drink plenty of fluid, the urologist may prescribe pain relievers such as ibuprofen, naproxen sodium or acetaminophen. In some cases, the urologist may offer a medication to help pass small stones from the kidney. The medication, called an alpha blocker, helps to relax ureter muscles and allows the stones to move quickly and painlessly out of the urinary tract.

Large stones are accompanied by various symptoms and should be treated using stronger measures. The urologist may use sound waves to break up the stones, a procedure called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). In some cases, the urologist will use a scope (a thin lighted tube equipped with a camera) to remove the stones. The urologist may also opt for percutaneous nephrolithotomy to surgically remove large stones, or even parathyroid gland surgery when necessary.

At St Pete Urology, we have experienced urologists and state-of-the-art facilities to ensure prompt diagnosis and effective treatment of kidney stones. If you have questions about this condition, visit St Pete Urology in St Petersburg for quality medical care.

Kidney Stone Promoters

Crystals form in everyone’s urine, including those who do not have kidney stones. Kidneys produce urine and this urine naturally consists of elements that enhance the formation of crystals. The elements that enhance the formation of crystals are sodium, oxalate, uric acid, calcium and phosphorus. However, cystine also promotes the formation of kidney stones, particularly in individuals with Cystinuria, an inherited disorder.

The compounds that promote the formation of kidney stones originate from the bloodstream. These compounds get into urine because kidneys play a role in blood filtration and regulate the amount of urinary components that should be reabsorbed back into the bloodstream or released as waste through the urine.

Kidney Stone Inhibitors

Apart from the compounds that promote the formation of stones, urine is comprised of proteins and other substances that inhibit the formation of crystals. Examples of kidney stone inhibitors include magnesium, citrate, phytate, proteins, pyrophosphate and macromolecules. In addition to these components, urine volume also inhibits the formation of kidney stones such that larger urine volumes tend to be more dilute and less saturated. All of these inhibitors help in the removal of crystals before their attachment and growth along the kidneys.

How Kidney Stones Form

For the tiny crystals to grow into bigger stones, urine must undergo supersaturation caused by several factors such as a low volume of urine, a reduced concentration of the kidney stone inhibitors, a very high concentration of compounds that promote kidney stones, or a combination of all these factors.

Normally, there is a good balance between the kidney stone inhibitors and promoters, and the kidneys eliminate tiny crystals without any pain. Therefore, if the crystals are tiny and the urine is less concentrated to prevent supersaturation, the crystals will be eliminated from the body along with urine, through the bladder and ureters, without any problem. However, not everyone has the right balance between stone inhibitors and promoters. Lifestyle, genetics and other factors can increase the likelihood of kidney stone formation. Individuals who lack this balance can greatly benefit from medical treatment and diagnosis at St Pete Urology.

How Kidney Stones Form in the Kidneys

Kidney stones form when ions that have been filtered into the urine by the kidneys, such as calcium and oxalate, spontaneously join together to form a solid crystal mass. For more information on the formation of kidneys stones, call us at (727) 478-1172 or visit us in St Petersburg, Florida.

How to Prevent Kidney Stones

There are many simple but effective ways of reducing your risk of having Kidney Stones. Dietary changes include minimizing those foods that can cause formation of Kidney Stones and increasing the consumption of foods that promote healthy kidneys. For more detailed information on How to Prevent Kidney Stones, call us at (727) 478-1172 or visit us at St Petersburg, FL.

Treatment of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are hard stone-like crystals that can form in urine. It is a very common medical condition and is more likely to be found in men than women. There are many ways to get rid of the stones. Some may be as simple as drinking fluids and others will require more advanced medical procedures. To learn more about treating Kidney Stones, call (727) 478-1172.

Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are small deposits of minerals that form hard stones in the kidney. They can cause urine blockage if a kidney stone obstructs the flow of urine through the ureter. The blockage can lead to kidney damage resulting from an accumulation of toxins in the urine. Symptoms include pain in the abdomen between the ribs and hip, or pain in the lower abdomen, lower back or groin. To learn more about the Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Stones, call (727) 478-1172.

Kidney Stones Prevention

Kidney Stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. A person who has had more than one kidney stone may be likely to form another, so remember the old wisdom saying prevention is better than cure. You can prevent kidney stone formation by drinking plenty of fluids this would dilute your urine also the chemicals which combine to formstones. Avoid eating low fat dairy products and other calcium rich foods. Avoid eating oxalate rich foods like beefs, spinach and chards. Also tea, coffee, cola, chocolate and nuts. Reduce the proportion of salt and meat in your diet. Based on the chemical analysis of the kidney stone , your doctor may prescribe medication and beneficial changes in your diet to prevent further formation.

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