Kidneys help the body remove waste and excess fluid in blood in the form of urine, but sometimes too much waste and the fluid isn’t enough in blood to excrete these waste causing it to stick together in the kidney. Over time these wastes accumulate and crystallize into stones called kidney stones.
Causes
- Not drinking adequate water
- Diet includes a high intake of sodium, sugar and protein
- Obesity or Overweight
- Often dehydrate due to strenuous activity without fluid intake.
- Infection in urinary tract
- Inherited metabolism disorder
- An after effect of gastric bypass surgery or some other type of intestinal surgery
- Body accumulates high levels of cystine, oxalate, uric acid or calcium.
- Medicine routine with certain types of diuretics and calcium based antacids
- Living in a place with a hot and dry climate often experiencing dehydration.
Symptom
- Painful to pass urine
- Blood in urine
- Sharp pain in lower abdomen or back
- Often experience nausea or vomiting
Treatment
The type of treatment for kidney stones depends on its size.- In cases with smaller stones the physician may recommend few medications and advice to drink plenty of fluids to flush out the kidney stone.
- In cases with larger stones that block the urinary tract additional treatment may be necessary such as :
- Lithotripsy, in which shock waves are used to break the stones into smaller sizes making it easier to pass through the urinary tract.
- Ureteroscopy, in which a long tool shaped like a tube is inserted into the ureter to remove smaller stones or break larger stones. This procedure uses lasers to break the stones and make it smaller to pass through the urinary tract.
- In rare cases, kidney stones are formed in the kidney and block the flow of wastes into the bladder. In such cases a surgery called percutaneous nephrolithotomy is performed to remove the stones.
