Kidney Stones FAQ

What to do if you have kidney stone?

2011-09-16T15:48:00.001-07:00

Kidney stones can happen to anyone, it occurs in young to adult people of both sexes. Frequently it occurs in men older than 40 years old. People whose kidney stones are calcium based i.e. calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate stones have a greater chance of recurrence within 10 years of its removal. Factors that induce stone formation include family history, low fluid intake (water), and diet high in calcium content. Person wanting to avoid kidney stone formation should be careful of their diets and minimize intake of food that are salty and food that are high in calcium such as rhubarb, spinach, beets, Swiss chard, wheat germ, soybean crackers, peanuts, and Indian tea among others. Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day is a must.

Persons drinking enough water a day can pass the small stones through urination. Medium size stone can be removed by ESWL, a non invasive procedure that break into pieces the stone so it can pass through the urine. Large kidney stones needed to be removed invasively (by surgery). Your Doctor, preferably a Urologist, can provide the best option and treatment for your kidney stone.

Symptoms of kidney stones can vary from blood in the urine, recurrent kidney or bladder infections, pain in the side or flank or back pain accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sometimes a fever. When these symptoms occur, it is best to see your Doctor.

What is ESWL?

2011-09-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

ESWL is short for Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy. This is a non-invasive medical procedure that uses shock waves to break a kidney stone into small pieces so that you will be able to pass the broken pieces of stones through your urine.

ESWL is not only non-invasive; it is also usually an outpatient procedure. This means you do not get any scalpel into your body and you go home after the treatment. This sounds neat and nice. Yes it is…but passing the broken stones at the comfort of your home after this procedure can take several days and could be slightly painful, but manageable. You will be required to drinks lots of water to help pass the stone through your urine.

Complications may occur with ESWL. Some patients have blood in their urine for a few days after treatment. Bruising and minor discomfort in the back or abdomen from the shock waves can occur. To reduce the risk of complications, doctors usually tell patients to avoid taking aspirin and other medicines that affect blood clotting for several weeks before treatment.

ESWL is done through the use of a lithotriptor, a device that emits electrical impulses (shockwaves) initiated via an electrohydraulic, piezoelectric, or electromagnetic generator. The shockwaves breaks the kidney stones into pieces.

What are renal stones?

2011-09-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

The word renal is from the Latin renes (the kidneys). A renal stone is a stone in the kidney/s or in the in the urinary tract. Yes, it is the same as kidney stone. The term renal stone is more technical than what most know as kidney stone.

Symptoms of a renal stone can be blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Renal stone is common in older people, and in the population, probably 1 in 20 people has a renal stone.

Developments of renal stone are directly related to the decrease in fluid intake and thus decrease in urine volume while there is an increase of body excretion of stone forming substances like calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphates. These stones form in the kidneys and range in different sizes most of which are small and pass through our urine.

Drinking lots of water help people avoid the formation of larger kidney / renal stone that require medical procedure like lithotripsy. Treatment includes relief of pain, hydration and, if there is concurrent urinary infection, antibiotics.

How to pass kidney stone naturally

2011-09-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

As we get older, it can not be help that we would develop kidney stones. This would happen if our diet is prone to kidney stone formation like eating a lot meat, high salt content foods, and drinking less than 8 glasses of water a day. Most of our kidney stones are small enough that it would pass through our urethra when urinating. However, a few of these stones can grown larger in size causing us back pain and other kidney stone symptoms.

So, is there a way for us to pass these stones naturally without a trip to the doctor, or without surgery or a lithotripsy procedure?

Yes. There is a home remedy for kidney stone and this is for grain size or even larger kidney stones that can still be dissolved by drinking lemon juice.

1. Buy lots of lemons. Prepare ½ to 1 cup of lemon juice and drink the juice, followed with a glass of water.

2. Others would add olive oil or virgin coconut oil to help lubricate the process of passing the stone.

3. This procedure is followed by an ounce of lemon juice and water every two hours thereafter until the stone has passed.

If you want to monitor the passed stones during this cleansing diet process, we suggest get a kidney stone strainer to collect or find out if you’re passing kidney stone. Check out our post on how to collect kidney stones.

This is home remedy/folk medicine, thus we advise you to see your urologist or Doctor before doing any of this procedure.

Here is a Kidney Stone Strainer:

How to collect kidney stones

2011-09-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

You had a terrible back pain and have seen your doctor and examination yielded kidney stones. Now you were given pain killers until you have seen your urologist, also you were advised to drink lots of fluids or lemon drink hoping that the kidney stones would pass naturally. This happens when the kidney stones are not big enough and can pass through your urethra. There are cases that patients are asked by their doctors to collect the stone so they can be analyzed.

So, how do we collect our kidney stones from the comfort of our own toilets or bathrooms at home? Here is how:

1. Get a kidney stone strainer. Your Doctor can provide this; you can also buy this at a local pharmacy or even buy this from Amazon. Here is the link to amazon:Kendall Calculi strainer for kidney stone analysis test, non-sterile - 1 ea
.

2. Urinate into the kidney stone strainer – check any brown or yellow residue or stones on the strainer - this can vary in sizes from small grain to larger ones big enough to pass through the urethra.

3. If you have found any, set them to dry and place them in a plastic or small bottle and bring it to your Doctor. Now your Doctor can determine if you have a calcium stones, or uric acid stones, or struvite or cystine. You can then pattern your diet according to the type of stone you got to avoid development of future kidney stones.

Kidney Stones Increasing Among Women in UK

2011-09-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Smoking, drinking and poor diet are behind the increase in the number of women needing treatment for kidney stones, an expert has said. Noor Buchholz, a urology consultant at Barts and The London NHS Trust, said the number of women treated for kidney stones at Barts has doubled in recent years.

He said: "Five years ago, we have treated 400 women per year for kidney stones - in the last year that figure rose dramatically to over 800 we had to expand our services to meet the number of people requiring treatment and, the disease does't show any signs of slowing down. " Mr. Buchholz was said on the eve of the European section of the Conference of urolithiasis Stone (EULIS), held at Barts.

Kidney stones may not always be due to a single cause, but too much meat and the salt could be the culprit. A sedentary lifestyle and excessive consumption of snuff and alcohol are also risk factors.

Mr. Buchholz said: "There is no doubt in my mind that the increase in lifestyle choices such as smoking and poor consumption of alcohol among women is the main reason we are treating many more of them. One eight people in this country develop kidney stones sometime.

"Traditionally considered a man's disease, but that is no longer the case of women, fast catching up with men."

Mr. Buchholz said the new technology means that patients now experience a faster recovery time when it comes to kidney stones.

Barts and London using a treatment called lithotripsy, which uses shock waves to break stones.

Lithotripsy is the most common treatment for kidney stones that can not be passed in the urine. Other procedures include the treatment of kidney stone laser through a small incision, and pass a tube through the ureter.

Types and Causes of Kidney Stones

2011-08-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

Causes of Kidney Stones

There’s various factors can led to the conditions that allow kidney stones to form in the body. These factors can include: (1) Some disturbances in the body's metabolism, (2) Certain inherited defects, (3) Abnormalities within the body.

It is quite impossible to determine why a kidney stone has developed as each type of stone has its own requirements for formation. The exact cause of kidney stones is unknown, but there are a number of factors that may put a person "at risk" for kidney stones and these include:

• age - more common during middle age

• gender - three times more common in men than in women

• diet - eating a diet high in green vegetables, fat, diary products, salt and brewed tea

• a family history of kidney stones

• recurring urinary tract infections

• reduced water intake

• kidney disorders, such as cystic kidney diseases

• metabolic disturbances, such as bowel, endocrine and kidney problems

• genetic disorders, such as gout (a type of arthritis or inflammation about a joint caused by excess uric acid in the blood), cystinuria, primary hyperoxaluria and renal tubular acidosis (a condition in which the kidneys are unable to excrete normal amounts of acid)

• excess intake of vitamins C and D

• blockage of the urinary tract

• medications, such as diuretics (water pills) or calcium-based antacids

• bed confinement

• alcohol consumption

Types of Kidney Stones:

Calcium stones form from the following:

• Most calcium stones form for unknown reasons, although a genetic basis is suspected.

• Certain foods can upset the balance of acid in the urine.

• Cancer can cause the body to produce an abnormally large amount of parathyroid hormone, which regulates calcium levels in the body. High levels of this hormone can break down bone and releases too much calcium into the blood. As a result, calcium saturates the urine.

Uric acid stones form from the following:

• Gout, the result of a genetic defect, is a disease that increases the body's production of uric acid. High levels of uric acid in the urine can cause stones to form.

• An inherited tendency can lead to the development of this type of stone, although the specific reason is unknown.

• Certain gastrointestinal conditions, such as ulcerative colitis, also can lead to the formation of uric acid stones.

Cystine stones can form from high amounts of cystine in the urine, the result of a rare in inherited abnormality.

Struvite stones may form in the kidney or bladder as a result of infection from certain bacteria.

Source:http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/; http://www.medicinenet.com, http://www.healthscout.com

Kidney stone treatment without surgery

2011-08-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. These develop from crystals that separate from the urine and build up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. If the crystals remain small, they can travel through the urinary tract and pass out unnoticed while urinating. However, if the crystals accumulate and form a large stone or stones, they can impair the function of the kidneys that can obstruct the flow of urine and cause excruciating pain. In cases like these, treatment should be done. If left untreated, kidneys may be permanently damaged by an obstructing stone in only a few days.

Diet, dehydration (not drinking enough water when doing manual labor or indulging in sport), and family history are just a few of the reasons why stones occur.

The common symptoms of stone disease are sharp pain in the abdomen or lower back, fever, blood in the urine, and pain when urinating.

Kidney stones can be treated through surgery, the most common form of treatment. Surgery is painful, leaves a scar, and requires a long recovery period — about four to six weeks. Lithotripsy or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the therapy of choice. This non-invasive technique uses shock waves instead of a knife to remove the stones from the kidney and urinary tract. The shockwaves pass harmlessly through body tissues. When the shock waves strike the kidney stone, cracks appear in the kidney stone’s surface. After about one hour, the stone is pulverized. The fragments pass out naturally during urination for a number of days or even weeks after lithotripsy.

Lithotripsy uses a simple device called a lithotripter. The physician localizes and then focuses shock waves directly on the stone. The lithotripter is very precise, delivering the right amount of energy to break the stone without damaging organs or surrounding tissues. The treatment usually consists of several thousand shocks which break the stone into very small fragments. These fragments are passed spontaneously during urination. The procedure usually lasts about one hour and is performed on an outpatient (OPD) basis. Re-treatment may be necessary in some cases to completely disintegrate larger stones.

The procedure is safe and performed worldwide with excellent results. It is non-invasive and conducted under the supervision of a highly-trained physician and technician. Occasional side effects are bruising around the treatment area, blood in urine, and pain for a few days following lithotripsy. While most people can undergo lithotripsy, inform your doctor if you have high blood pressure, a blood clotting disorder, or a urinary tract infection. Pregnant women must not undergo lithotripsy. To date, over 25,000 patients have been treated in the Philippines in the last 15 years with stone-free rates ranging from 70 to 100 percent, depending on the stone burden, location, and number of treatments.

For more information on non-surgical kidney stone treatment and related concerns, call De Los Santos Medical Center Stone Center at 723-0041-54 local 127 and 129 or direct line 726-3572 from Monday to Friday.

Source:Philstar.com

How are kidney stones treated?

2011-08-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

Fortunately, surgery is not usually necessary. Most kidney stones can pass through the urinary system with plenty of water— to 3 quarts a day—to help move the stone along. Often, the patient can stay home during this process, drinking fluids and taking pain medication as needed. The doctor usually asks the patient to save the passed stone(s) for testing. It can be caught in a cup or tea strainer used only for this purpose.

Lifestyle Changes

A simple and most important lifestyle change to prevent stones is to drink more liquids—water is best. Someone who tends to form stones should try to drink enough liquids throughout the day to produce at least quarts of urine in every 4-hour period.

In the past, people who form calcium stones were told to avoid dairy products and other foods with high calcium content. Recent studies have shown that foods high in calcium, including dairy products, may help prevent calcium stones. Taking calcium in pill form, however, may increase the risk of developing stones.

Patients may be told to avoid food with added vitamin D and certain types of antacids that have a calcium base. Someone who has highly acidic urine may need to eat less meat, fish, and poultry. These foods increase the amount of acid in the urine.

To prevent cystine stones, a person should drink enough water each day to dilute the concentration of cystine that escapes into the urine, which may be difficult. More than a gallon of water may be needed every 4 hours, and a third of that must be drunk during the night.

Medical Therapy

A doctor may prescribe certain medications to help prevent calcium and uric acid stones. These medicines control the amount of acid or alkali in the urine, key factors in crystal formation. The medicine allopurinol may also be useful in some cases of hyperuricosuria.

Doctors usually try to control hypercalciuria, and thus prevent calcium stones, by prescribing certain diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide. These medicines decrease the amount of calcium released by the kidneys into the urine by favoring calcium retention in bone. They work best when sodium intake is low.

Rarely, patients with hypercalciuria are given the medicine sodium cellulose phosphate, which binds calcium in the intestines and prevents it from leaking into the urine.

If cystine stones cannot be controlled by drinking more fluids, a doctor may prescribe medicines such as Thiola and Cuprimine, which help reduce the amount of cystine in the urine.

For struvite stones that have been totally removed, the first line of prevention is to keep the urine free of bacteria that can cause infection. A patient’s urine will be tested regularly to ensure no bacteria are present.

If struvite stones cannot be removed, a doctor may prescribe a medicine called acetohydroxamic acid (AHA). AHA is used with long-term antibiotic medicines to prevent the infection that leads to stone growth.

People with hyperparathyroidism sometimes develop calcium stones. Treatment in these cases is usually surgery to remove the parathyroid glands, which are located in the neck. In most cases, only one of the glands is enlarged. Removing the glands cures the patient’s problem with hyperparathyroidism and kidney stones.

Surgical Treatment

Surgery may be needed to remove a kidney stone if it

•does not pass after a reasonable period of time and causes constant pain

•is too large to pass on its own or is caught in a difficult place

•blocks the flow of urine

•causes an ongoing urinary tract infection

•damages kidney tissue or causes constant bleeding

•has grown larger, as seen on follow-up x rays

Until 20 years ago, open surgery was necessary to remove a stone. The surgery required a recovery time of 4 to weeks. Today, treatment for these stones is greatly improved, and many options do not require major open surgery and can be performed in an outpatient setting.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the most frequently used procedure for the treatment of kidney stones. In ESWL, shock waves that are created outside the body travel through the skin and body tissues until they hit the denser stones. The stones break down into small particles and are easily passed through the urinary tract in the urine.

Several types of ESWL devices exist. Most devices use either x rays or ultrasound to help the surgeon pinpoint the stone during treatment. For most types of ESWL procedures, anesthesia is needed.

In many cases, ESWL may be done on an outpatient basis. Recovery time is relatively short, and most people can resume normal activities in a few days.

Sometimes, the shattered stone particles cause minor blockage as they pass through the urinary tract and cause discomfort. In some cases, the doctor will insert a small tube called a stent through the bladder into the ureter to help the fragments pass. Sometimes the stone is not completely shattered with one treatment, and additional treatments may be needed.

As with any interventional, surgical procedure, potential risks and complications should be discussed with the doctor before making a treatment decision.

Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy

Sometimes a procedure called percutaneous nephrolithotomy is recommended to remove a stone. This treatment is often used when the stone is quite large or in a location that does not allow effective use of ESWL.

In this procedure, the surgeon makes a tiny incision in the back and creates a tunnel directly into the kidney. Using an instrument called a nephroscope, the surgeon locates and removes the stone. For large stones, some type of energy probe—ultrasonic or electrohydraulic—may be needed to break the stone into small pieces. Often, patients stay in the hospital for several days and may have a small tube called a nephrostomy tube left in the kidney during the healing process.

One advantage of percutaneous nephrolithotomy is that the surgeon can remove some of the stone fragments directly instead of relying solely on their natural passage from the kidney.

Ureteroscopic Stone Removal

Although some stones in the ureters can be treated with ESWL, ureteroscopy may be needed for mid- and lower-ureter stones. No incision is made in this procedure. Instead, the surgeon passes a small fiberoptic instrument called a ureteroscope through the urethra and bladder into the ureter. The surgeon then locates the stone and either removes it with a cage-like device or shatters it with a special instrument that produces a form of shock wave. A small tube or stent may be left in the ureter for a few days to help urine flow. Before fiber optics made ureteroscopy possible, physicians used a similar “blind basket” extraction method. But this technique is rarely used now because of the higher risks of damage to the ureters.

Source: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/pdf/KidneyStonesAdults.pdf

Food to Avoid If You Have Kidney Stone

2011-08-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

Foods and Drinks Containing Oxalate

People prone to forming calcium oxalate stones may be asked by their doctor to limit or avoid certain foods if their urine contains an excess of oxalate.

High-oxalate foods — higher to lower

•rhubarb
•spinach
•beets
•swiss chard
•wheat germ
•soybean crackers
•peanuts
•okra
•chocolate
•black Indian tea
•sweet potatoes

Foods that have medium amounts of oxalate may be eaten in limited amounts.

Medium-oxalate foods — higher to lower

•grits
•grapes
•celery
•green pepper
•red raspberries
•fruit cake
•strawberries
•marmalade
•liver

Source: The Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluri (www.ohf.org/diet.html)

How are Kidney Stones Diagnosed?

2011-08-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

When any of these symptoms occur:

• severe kidney pain

• nausea and vomiting

• burning and the urge to pass urine

• frequent urination

• cloudy or foul-smelling urine

• fever, chills

• blood in the urine

• bloating,

• pus in the urine

You may have a kidney stone and it is best to see your doctor. People who experience the severe pain of passing a stone usually go to a hospital emergency room. There they are usually given pain killers and intravenous fluids in hope that the stone will pass on its own. Testing is also done to confirm that a stone is present.

The doctor will perform a number of diagnostic tests to diagnose kidney stones. Diagnostic tests include a blood test, a urine test and a 24-hour urine collection test. The 24-hour urine test is done to monitor urine volume, levels of acidity, and if a stone has passed into the sample, the make-up of stone (i.e., calcium-based, uric acid based, etc.) is also determined.

Other diagnostic tests include a kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) x-ray, a kidney ultrasound, an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and if recommended, a CAT (CT) scan.

A KUB x-ray involves low doses of electromagnetic energy to produce a picture of the kidney-ureter-bladder area. This x-ray will reveal kidney stones in these areas.
A kidney ultrasound is a diagnostic technique in which high frequency sound waves are passed into the kidney to detect obstructions and changes.
During an IVP, a colorless substance is injected into the vein. This substance circulates to the kidney and is excreted and concentrated, making the area in and around the kidney white. Obstructed and dilated areas will fill with white contrast much slower than normal.
A CT scan involves injecting a dye into the body that infiltrates the kidneys and accentuates the images. Using a series of cross-sectional x-rays, the images, made by the dye, make it possible to detect kidney stones.

Source: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/, photo courtesy of guardian.co.uk.

How to Prevent Development of Kidney Stones

2011-08-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Anyone who had prior kidney stone will likely form another in the future. However, there are ways to prevent this from happening, as commonly said, prevention is way better than cure. One way to prevent the development of kidney stone is to make life style changes and the food that we take.

Lifestyle Changes You Should Adapt to Prevent Kidney Stone:

• Drink 8 to 13 glasses of water a day. Dehydration ie not drinking enough water when doing manual labor or indulging in sport, and family history are just a few of the reasons why stones occur. Drink enough water to avoid kidney stone formation in you kidneys, bladder or urethra.

• Control or limit the intake of calcium and oxalate-based foods. These food include apples, black pepper, chocolate, coffee, cheese, grapes, ice cream, vitamin C, yogurt, tomatoes and oranges, to name a few. Limit the intake of food high in calcium such as milk and dairy products.

• Control or limit the amount of animal protein eaten. This is to avoid the formation of uric acid stones. Uric acid stone are caused by eating too much animal protein particularly innards which are delicacies in some culture. That said, avoid foods that are high in uric acid.

• Limit salt intake. This is self explanatory. Salt is a component in the formation of some kidney stones.

• Limit supplemental intake of vitamin C and D. Consult the doctor before taking vitamin supplements.

• Limit alcohol consumption.

Consult your Doctor for further guidance. Do NOT arbitrarily reduce the calcium in your diet without talking to your doctor first! Studies show that limiting calcium in your diet may not stop kidney stones from forming and may harm your bones.

Type of Kidney Stones

It is best to find out what type of stone you got, so it can help which and what food to avoid, or limit. There are four main kinds of kidney stones. Each type has a different cause. Each may need a different kind of treatment or prevention. The four types are:

• Calcium-Oxalate: These are the most common kidney stones. They can be caused by eating too much calcium or vitamin D, some medicines, genetics and other kidney problems. Talk to your doctor about ways to stop these stones from forming. Do NOT limit calcium unless your doctor tells you to.

• Struvite: These stones affect women more than men. They can grow very large and may harm the kidneys more than other stones. Having kidney infections often may cause struvite stones.

• Uric Acid: These stones may be caused by eating too much animal protein or by genetics. To prevent uric acid stones from forming, try eating less red meat.

• Cystine: These stones are very rare. They are caused by cystinuria, a genetic kidney disease.

Ask your doctor about what kind of stones you have.

Source: www.kidneyfund.org, Photo courtesy of asktonythegardener.com

What are the Symptoms of Kidney Stones?

2011-07-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

Kidney Stones can be in the kidneys, urethra, and bladder of a person without showing any symptoms. Most of these are small ones, thus cause no pains and symptoms and eventually are flush out when urinating. Larger ones that may have blocked the kidneys and other body vital functions may cause pain and show symptoms. Symptoms often occur when a stone migrates into the urethra that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder, and prevents the drainage of urine from the kidney. Kidney stones symptoms are as follows:

• severe kidney pain that starts suddenly and last from minutes to hours, followed by long periods of relief. The pain may be on the side of the abdomen or in the middle of the abdomen (if the stone is at the beginning of the ureter). It also may travel into the groin (if the stone is lower in the ureter). In some cases, the pain is severe enough to require medication.

• nausea and vomiting

• burning and the urge to pass urine

• frequent urination

• cloudy or foul-smelling urine

• fever, chills

• blood in the urine, person may be able to see blood in the urine, or it might be detected through a laboratory test. The presence of blood is the result of damage to the lining of the ureter or tissue damage inside the kidney.

• bloating, happens when the person cannot urinate due to the blockage

• pus in the urine, when damage to the urethra happened and gets infected

There are other possible consequences of kidney stones. Partial or complete obstruction of a kidney by a stone may lead to a backup of urine in the blood, along with its potentially toxic component, urea. If this happens, the kidney may suffer damage to its tubules (the microscopic chemical plants that manufacture urine) and to their associated blood vessels.

We advise you to see you Doctor or health care provider immediately.

http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/; http://www.medicinenet.com, http://www.healthscout.com. Photo Courtesy of: ayusveda.com

Kidney Stones

2011-07-31T04:02:00.000-07:00

Kidney Stones are crystalline solids found in your kidneys. Kidney Stones developed from crystals from the urine within the urinary tract. Kidney stones are formed through a chemical reaction that transpires when the urine becomes concentrated and substances combine together to create stones that are big to pass in the urine. Kidney stones are made of calcium oxalate, calcium and ammonium phosphate, uric acid, cystine and other substances that we get from certain foods that we eat.

In general, urine contains chemicals that prevent or inhibit the crystals or kidney stones from forming. These inhibitors do not seem to work for everyone, however, so some people form stones. If the crystals remain tiny enough, they will travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body in the urine without being noticed. However, they sometimes stick to the lining of the kidney or settle in places where the urine flow fails to carry them away. Most stones start in the kidney. Some may travel to other parts of the urinary system, such as the ureter (the tube leading from the kidney to the bladder) or bladder, and grow there, ranging in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball.

The most common types of kidney stones are calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones and cystine stones. Calcium stones are formed by a build-up of calcium, combining with oxalate, phosphate or carbonate. Calcium stones account for 75 to 85 percent of all stones and are more likely to occur in men.

Uric acid stones are formed by a build-up of uric acid. Uric acid stones account for 5 to 10 percent of all stones and are more likely to occur in men.

Struvite stones are formed by a build-up of calcium, magnesium and ammonium phosphate. Struvite stones account for 10 to 15 percent of all stones, are mainly found in women, and are linked to chronic infections of the urinary tract.

Cystine stones are formed by a build-up of cystine, combining with lysine, arginine and ornithine. Cystine stones account for 1 percent of all stones and are found in persons suffering from a hereditary disorder called cystinuria. Cystinuria occurs as a result of the kidney tubules not reabsorbing certain amino acids adequately. Cystine stones occur in both men and women equally.

Urolithiasis is the medical term used to describe stones occurring in the urinary tract. Other frequently used terms are urinary tract stone disease and nephrolithiasis. Doctors also use terms that describe the location of the stone in the urinary tract. For example, a ureteral stone-or ureterolithiasis-is a kidney stone found in the ureter.

Gallstones and kidney stones are not related. They form in different areas of the body. Someone with a gallstone is not necessarily more likely to develop kidney stones.

Source: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/; http://www.medicinenet.com, http://www.healthscout.com. Photo Courtesy of: medicalook.com, curemanual.com

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2011-07-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

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