KIDNEY STONE

What is Kindey Stone?

Kidney stones are solid, mineral-rich objects formed from chemicals, such as calcium salts, in urine. They can take years to form, and grow in various shapes and sizes. A stone may stay in the kidney and cause few problems, but it can increase the risk of urinary tract infection.

Sizes of Kidney stones:

Symptoms:

If you have a very small kidney stone that moves easily through your urinary tract, you may not have any symptoms, and may never know that you had a kidney stone .
If you have a larger kidney stone, you may notice any of the following symptoms:

Pain while urinating
Blood in your urine
Sharp pain in your back or lower abdomen
Nausea and vomiting
urine that smells bad or looks cloudy

Causes:

Drinking too little water.
Obesity
Diet with too much salt or sugar.
Eating too much fructose correspond with increasing risk of developing a kidney stone.

Types:

Calcium oxalate: The most common type of kidney stone which is created when calcium combines with oxalate in the urine. Inadequate calcium and fluid intake, as well other conditions, may contribute to their formation.
Uric acid: This is another common type of kidney stone. Foods such as organ meats and shellfish have high concentrations of a natural chemical compound known as purines. High purine intake leads to a higher production of monosodium urate, which, under the right conditions, may form stones in the kidneys. The formation of these types of stones tends to run in families.
Struvite: These stones are less common and are caused by infections in the upper urinary tract.
Cystine: These stones are rare and tend to run in families.

Treatment & Tests:

The treatment for a kidney stone depends on the size of the stone, what it is made of, whether it is causing pain and whether it is blocking your urinary tract.
To figure out the proper treatment for you, your physician might ask you to have a urine test, blood test, x-ray and/or CT scan.
If the size of stones known through CT scan is small then your doctor may prescribe you to take pain medicine and drink plenty of fluids to help you push the stones out through the urinary tract.
If kidney stones are large or it's blocking the urinary tract then additional treatment may be needed.
One treatment option is shock wave lithotripsic. This treatment uses shock waves to break up the kidney stones into small pieces. After the treatment, the small pieces of the kidney stone will pass through your urinary tract and out of your body with your urine. This treatment usually takes 45 minutes to one hour and may be done under general anesthesia, which means you will be asleep and unable to feel pain.
Another treatment option is ureteroscopy. This treatment is also done under general anesthesia. The doctor uses a long tool shaped like a tube to find and remove the stone or to find and break the stone into small pieces. If the stone is small, the doctor may be able to remove it. If it is large, it may need to be broken into pieces. In this case, a laser will be used to break the stone into pieces that are small enough to pass through your urinary tract.
In rare cases, a surgery called percutaneous nephrolithotomy is needed to remove a kidney stone. During the surgery, a tube will be inserted directly into your kidney to remove the stone. You will need to be under observation for two to three days.
Patients need to consult their doctor for better and suitable treatment option for them.

Precautions:

The most common reason for kidney stones is dehydration.
Most people require between 8 to 10 glasses of water per day.
Eat more calcium-rich foods :-

Calcium oxalate stones are the most common type of kidney stone, leading patients to believe they should stop eating calcium supplements.
Calcium supplements, however, may increase your risk of stones. Taking calcium supplements with a meal may help reduce that risk.
Low-fat milk, low-fat cheese, and low-fat yogurt are all good calcium-rich food options.

Eat less sodium :-

Too much salt in the urine prevents calcium from being reabsorbed from the urine to the blood. This causes high urine calcium, which may lead to kidney stones.
Keeping less salt intake maintains urine calcium levels and lowers the risk of developing kidney stones.