Many people are suffering from kidney stone problems. A kidney stone is a hard substance and it is made from chemicals present in the urine. It can affect any individual’s health. Kidney stones are also known as renal calculi, nephrolithiasis, or urolithiasis, they can lead to kidney infections.
In the beginning, kidney stones seem small in size. Sometimes smaller kidney stones can be passed through the urinary tract without causing pain. However, when they become large they can cause irritation, pain, and blockage of urine. This also can cause bleeding and keep urine in the body and not flush it out properly. This condition is very painful, in this case, you need immediate medical treatment.
Types of kidney stones are calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, uric acid, struvite, and cystine.
What Causes Kidney Stones?
- When calcium, oxalate, and phosphorus become highly intense in the urine, kidney stones can form.
- The other causes of kidney stones are when you do not drink enough water.
- Lack of physical activity, eating food with excess salt and sugar, etc.
Kidney stones don’t have a fixed cause they may increase risk by other factors also.
When you have a larger kidney stone you see some symptoms including severe pain in the lower back, blood in your urine, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, feeling burning in urination.
Diagnoses and Treating Kidney Stones
When you have some symptoms of kidney stone, some tests are provided by your doctor to find the kidney stone size and position, which helps start your treatment such as:
Urinalysis
It is a form of Urine testing. In this test, the doctor collects a sample of your urine to scan for crystals, that can influence the formation of kidney stones. It can help to find kidney problems or infections, it can also help to find other diseases like diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and liver infections.
Computed tomography (CT) scan
It shows the details of muscles, bones, and organs and helps to identify the exact location of the stone. It creates three-dimensional (3-D) images.
Computed tomography (CT) scan shows the stones in the urinary tract, cysts, tumors, and infections.
It is done with computers and X-ray machines it gives detailed pictures of the body to the doctor.
Abdominal ultrasound
It can help to view stones in the urinary tract. Abdominal ultrasound is an imaging test. It helps technicians to find out the location, shape, and size of the kidney. In this test transducer is placed on the abdomen and used to provide images of bladders and kidneys to help find blockages of urinary flow and also help to identify the stones.
MRI scan
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) creates computerized two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D)images that help to securely diagnose kidney stones in pregnant women.
Blood Test
Blood tests can measure several minerals, called electrolytes, that can be related to the formation of kidney stones.
Basic metabolic panel (BMP) or the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) and the uric acid test these blood tests are commonly used for kidney stone diagnosis.
Treatments for kidney stones:
Your treatment depends on your condition.
The small size or stones are simply removed by drinking a lot of water, and some medication to decrease pain. The doctor gives you some medicines that can help remove kidney stones without any pain, the stone passes out through your urine.
Sometimes doctors recommend Lithotripsy treatment it is used to break the kidney stone into small pieces and then the pieces of the kidney stone will pass through your urinary tract and out through your urine. Lithotripsy does not require surgery.
In some cases surgery is needed when the stone gets large and can’t pass on its own, The stone is blocking urine flow causing an infection or kidney damage and pain cannot be controlled. After surgery, you may need to be in the hospital for 2-3 days till the recovery.
Conclusion
If you have any symptoms of kidney stone talk to your doctor as soon as possible, because without any treatment kidney stone increases the risk of serious health problems. For instance, blood in the urine, blockage of the ureter, painful urination, damage to the kidney, etc.
Drinking too much water will help to remove small kidney stones easily.