What is a kidney stone?
A kidney stone is a hard mass developed from crystals that separate from the urine within the urinary tract. Kidney stones may contain various combinations of chemicals. The most common type of stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. A less common type of stone is caused by infection in the urinary tract. This type of stone is called a struvite or infection stone. Another type of stone, uric acid stones, are a bit less common, and cystine stones are rare.
What causes kidney stones?
A person with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones. Urinary tract infections, kidney disorders such as cystic kidney diseases, and certain metabolic disorders such as hyperparathyroidism are also linked to stone formation.
In addition, more than 70 percent of people with a rare hereditary disease called renal tubular acidosis develop kidney stones.
Cystinuria and hyperoxaluria are two other rare, inherited metabolic disorders that often cause kidney stones. In cystinuria, too much of the amino acid cystine, which does not dissolve in urine, is voided, leading to the formation of stones made of cystine. In patients with hyperoxaluria, the body produces too much oxalate, a salt. When the urine contains more oxalate than can be dissolved, the crystals settle out and form stones.
Hypercalciuria is inherited, and it may be the cause of stones in more than half of patients. Calcium is absorbed from food in excess and is lost into the urine. This high level of calcium in the urine causes crystals of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate to form in the kidneys or elsewhere in the urinary tract.
Other causes of kidney stones are hyperuricosuria, which is a disorder of uric acid metabolism; gout; excess intake of vitamin D; urinary tract infections; and blockage of the urinary tract. Certain diuretics, commonly called water pills, and calcium-based antacids may increase the risk of forming kidney stones by increasing the amount of calcium in the urine.
Calcium Oxalate
Calcium oxalate stones may also form in people who have chronic inflammation of the bowel or who have had an intestinal bypass operation, or ostomy surgery. As mentioned earlier, struvite stones can form in people who have had a urinary tract infection. People who take the protease inhibitor indinavir, a medicine used to treat HIV infection, may also be at increased risk of developing kidney stones
What are the symptoms of kidney stones?
- Extreme pain
- Feels a sharp, cramping pain in the back side in the area of the kidney, in the lower abdomen
- The urine pink
How are kidney stones diagnosed?
- X rays
- Ultrasound
- A computerized tomography (CT) scan
- An intravenous pyelogram (IVP)
How are kidney stones treated?
- Surgery – Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), Ureteroscopy, & Percutaneous nephrolithotoomy
- Plenty of water—2 to 3 quarts a day
- Lifestyle Changes
- Avoid dairy products and other foods with high calcium content
- Avoid food with added vitamin D and certain types of antacids
Medical Therapy
- Allopurinol
- Hydrochlorothiazide
- Sodium cellulose phosphate
- Potassium citrate
- Cuprimine
- Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA)
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