Kidney stone or nephrolithiasis is a type of kidney disease that is caused by the formation of a solid substance inside the kidney. This solid substance, called a kidney stone, can start forming due to various reasons. About 5% of Americans suffer from this condition. A stone generally forms when the quantity of urine decreases or there are substances in the urine that promote its formation and growth.
Kidney stone ailments are seen more often in the south and the south-west of the country. This is possibly because of a lower fluid intake leading to dehydration. It has been reported that incidents of kidney stone have been increasing in the country most probably due to the increasing number of obese people.
Kidney stone formation is linked to certain risk factors. They are:
- Hereditary factors
- Diet
- Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension
- Dehydration due to poor fluid intake (related to strenuous activity and hot and dry climate in certain geographical areas)
- Medical conditions like gout, hyperparathyroidism, and renal tubular acidosis
- Certain supplements or medications
The most prevalent type of kidney stone is made up of calcium with a mixture of either phosphate or oxalate. Other types of kidney stones may be composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate, uric acid, and amino acid cysteine.
Other than dehydration from poor intake of fluids, normally or after strenuous activity or exercise, obstruction of the flow of urine or infection in the urinary tract can lead to stone formation. Other factors include inherited metabolic anomalies that change the composition of urine. The presence of uric acid in the blood due to gout and high levels of calcium in the urine (hypercalciuria, an inherited condition) are known to greatly increase the chance of kidney stone formation.
Other factors that contribute to this kidney disease are:
- A high-salt diet, animal protein, sugar, vitamin D, and food containing oxalate like spinach can cause kidney stone formation. What is interesting is that even low intake of dietary calcium may lead to calcium-oxalate imbalance resulting in an increased oxalate excretion that could set off stone formation.
- People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Medications like diuretics and antacids containing calcium.
Many instances of kidney stones do not produce symptoms and are called “silent” stones. Otherwise, the initial indications of the presence of kidney stones are sudden cramping and excruciating pain in the lower back, abdomen, or groin. These pains come and go or intermittently increase and decrease in severity. Severe pain can result in nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms include blood in the urine, urine urgency, and difficulty urinating. This may be accompanied by testicular and penile pain. If there is an infection of the urinary tract the person may experience fever and chills.
There is no agreement on a standard test or tests to diagnose kidney stone. People who arrive at emergency rooms may need to get a computed tomography (CT) scan to rule out any other causes for the pain. Of late, ultrasound with abdominal X-rays have proven to be better at diagnosing kidney stones.
Most kidney stones pass through the urinary tract and out on their own with adequate fluid intake. When over-the-counter (OTC) drugs cannot quell the pain, narcotics and injectable anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Intravenous pain medications are used if the patient has nausea and vomiting.
If the stone does not pass on its own, a procedure named lithotripsy is used by the doctors. Lithotripsy is a procedure that uses shock waves to break the kidney stone. After the procedure, the tiny pieces of the stones pass out of the body through the urine.
