A person may suffer from kidney stone when salt in the urine forms a solid crystal. If this condition is not treated then these stones can lead to block the flow of urine and cause infection, kidney failure or kidney damage. Kidney stone is also referred as renal calculi. The most of the kidney stone problems can be treated without any surgery. Many a time the pin can be severe and may require an immediate medical attention along with it a very strong pain killer will be needed. It is advisable for you to seek for immediate medical help if you are suffering unbearable pain.
4 major types of kidney stones and its causes
- Calcium Stone – It is caused by eating too much calcium or vitamin D.
- Uric Acid Stone –This can be cause due to too much intake of animal protein or by genetics.
- Struvite Stones – This type of stone is form due to magnesium and the waste product ammonia. This one can be very dangerous and cause urine infection.
- Cystine Stones – This one is very rare and is cause due to cystinuria, a genetic kidney disease.
Symptoms of kidney stones
Generally a kidney stone will not show any symptoms until it moves around or within your kidney or passes through the ureter (a tube connecting kidney and the urinary bladder). Some of the commonly noticed signs and symptoms that may occur are;
- Severe or unbearable pain in the back, side and below the ribs
- A chronic pain that spreads from lower abdomen to groin
- A pain that comes in waves in intensity
- Pain during urination
- Urine color changes to pink, red or brown
- Cloudy or afoul-smelling urine
- Fever and chills if an infection is present
- Urinating more often than usual
- Nausea and vomiting
- Persistent urge to urinate
The pain caused due to kidney stone may keep on changing, for example, it keeps on shifting in different directions and location or may pain in increasing intensity as ir moves through the urinary track.
Diagnosis of kidney stones
Urine and a blood test can help you to diagnose the problem and its cause to some extent. The further test to confirm urine stone may include;
- Ultrasound
- CT scans
- X-rays including an Intra-Venous Pyelogram (IVP)
In case if the urine stone passes, collect it and take it to your doctor for analysis. To prevent the chances of the reappearance of kidney stone, and take the necessary precautionary measures.
Various treatment options available for kidney stone are;
90% of kidney stones pass by themselves within 3 to 6 weeks from the time of diagnoses. The only treatment that a person requires during this is a pain relief. However this pain can become so severe and chronic that it many require hospitalization along with very strong painkillers to the patient. Only in a few cases there is a need for operation, which is not really very a troublesome issue.
There are certain medications also available in the market. Apart from there are several self-care tips also they may help you to treat and prevent kidney stone trouble. The best option is drink plenty of water so that it can instantly pass urination.