What Causes Kidney Stones? Signs & Symptoms, Treatment
Kidney stones are a very common problem that many people face. But few people know the actual reason for kidney stones. Here we will discuss everything related to the kidney stone and then cause kidney pain that is unbearable for everyone.
Our kidney removes waste and fluid from the blood to make urine. Byt sometimes we have too much waste and no fluid in our blood. The then certain type of waste can build up and can stick together in our kidneys. It means the clumps of waste called a kidney stone.
Cause And Risk Factor Of Kidney stones
Anyone can have a kidney stone problem but some people are less likely to face kidney problems than others. According to research, men get kidney stones more than women. This problem is also more common in non-Hispanic white people than in people of other ethnicities.
You may also face kidney stone problems if:
- You ever have a kidney stone before
- It could be run from family, such as if your family member has a kidney problem
- Drink less water. Drinking less water can also be harmful to your and can cause kidney stones problem
- You are overweight, or facing an obesity problem
- You are eating a diet that contains more amount of salt, sugar, and protein
- You ever had gastric bypass surgery or another intestinal surgery
- You have cystic kidney disease or polycystic kidney disease
- You are facing a certain condition in which your urine contains high levels of cystine, oxalate, uric acid or calcium.
- You are facing a condition in which your bowel or your joints are swelling or irritating
- You are taking certain pills such as diuretics, or calcium-based antacids
Symptoms Of Kidney Stones
If the kidney stone is so small that it can be passed out easily through the urine you may not feel any pain or may never know that you ever have a kidney stone. But if you have a large kidney stone you may feel one of the following symptoms:
- You will feel while urinating
- Will see blood in your urine
- You will feel a sharp pain in your back or lower your abdomen
- Vomiting and nausea
If you are facing any of these symptoms then immediately call your doctor and have an appointment.
Treatment Of Kidney Stones
The treatment of kidney stones depends on many aspects such as the size of the stone, what makes it happen, if it is causing any pain or blocking the urine tract. First, it is important to answer all these questions, to figure out everything your doctor may suggest to you, many tests like urine test, X-ray, blood test, and CT scan. CT scan sometimes uses contrast dye so if you ever had a problem with contrast dye then talking to your doctor before a CT scan is important.
If all the tests show that the size of the kidney is small and can be eradicated through urine, your doctor will suggest some pain killer and drinking plenty of fluids so that the stone can be removed through your urinary tract.
But if the kidney stone is large or if it is blocking your urinary tract then your doctor will recommend additional treatment to remove the stone.
There are basically some options of treatment:
One option is shock wave lithotripsy. In this treatment, shock waves are used to break the large kidney stone into small pieces. After that, all the small pieces pass through the urinary tract. This treatment almost takes 45 minutes to one hour and is mostly done under general anaesthesia. It means that you will not feel any pain or shock.
The other treatment is called ureteroscopy. This treatment is also done under anaesthesia and then doctors use a long tool to find and remove the stone or to find and break the stone into small pieces. If the stone is small, the doctors will remove it, but if the stone is large, it will be broken into small pieces. For this, a laser is used that is too small and can be passed through your urinary tract to break the stone into small pieces.
percutaneous nephrolithotomy is very infrequently used to remove the kidney stone. In this surgery, a tube will be inserted directly into your kidney to remove the stone. You may have to spend two to three days in the hospital to recover fully.
How You Can Prevent Kidney Stone
The most effective way to prevent kidney stones is to drink too much fluid every day. People should drink almost 12 glasses of water every day. If you have a kidney problem and have to limit your fluid ingestion, the first talk to your doctor about it and then use limited fluid.
