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What are kidney stones?

Kidney Stones Causes

By Dr ShamsPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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What are kidney stones?

A kidney stone is a hard deposit that is made from minerals and salts in the kidney. Following are the different types of kidney stones: cystine, uric acid, calcium oxalate, and struvite. The treatment of kidney stones can be through shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, or nephrolithotomy. Dr. Shams Iqbal is a well-known doctor who provides Kidney Stone Treatment in Kondhwa, Camp, Hadapsar.

Common symptoms include severe lower back pain, hematuria, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills, or urine that smells bad or looks cloudy. Various wastes are dissolved in the urine.

When there is too little liquid and too much waste, crystals begin to form. The crystal attracts other elements and combines to form a solid, and unless it is excreted with urine, it will increase in volume. These chemicals are usually excreted in the urine through the kidneys, the body’s main chemical substance. In most people, there is enough fluid to remove them or other chemicals in the urine and prevent stones from forming.

The chemicals that form stones are calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphate. Once formed, the stone will stay in the kidney or pass through the urinary tract to the ureter. Sometimes small stones are excreted through urine without causing too much pain. But immobile stones can cause urine to accumulate in the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra.

What are the types of kidney stones?

There are four main types of stones:

Calcium oxalate - The most common type of kidney stone is formed by the combination of calcium and oxalate in the urine. Insufficient calcium and fluid intake and other conditions can cause it to form.

Uric acid - Foods such as offal and shellfish contain high concentrations of natural compounds called purines. High purine intake will increase the production of sodium urate, which can form kidney stones under proper conditions.

Struvite - These stones are the minerals that are caused by urinary tract infections.

Cystine - These stones are rare and often familial.

What are the symptoms of kidney stones?

If your kidney stones are very small and pass through the urinary tract easily, you may not have any symptoms, and you may never know that you have kidney stones. The symptoms of kidney stones are as follows:

• Painful urination

• Blood in your urine

• Back or lower abdomen pain

• Nausea and vomiting

What are the treatment methods for kidney stones?

The treatment of kidney stones depends on the size and composition of the stones, whether they cause pain, and whether they block the urinary tract. In order to answer these questions and determine the treatment that is right for you, your doctor may ask you to perform a urinalysis, blood tests, X-rays, and/or CT scans. Sometimes CT scans use contrast agents. If you encounter problems with the use of contrast media, be sure to tell your doctor before the CT scan.

If your kidney stones are large or block your urinary tract, you may need further treatment. One treatment option is shock wave lithotripsy. After treatment, small kidney stones will pass through your urinary tract and be excreted in the urine. This treatment usually takes 45 minutes to an hour and can be performed under general anesthesia, which means you will fall asleep and feel no pain.

Another treatment option is ureteroscopy. Doctors use long tubular tools to find and remove stones or find and break stones into small pieces. The doctor may be able to remove the stone if it is small. If it is large, it may need to be divided into several pieces. In this case, a laser will be used to break the stone into pieces small enough to pass through the urinary tract.

In rare cases, a procedure called percutaneous nephrolithotomy is required to remove kidney stones. During the operation, a tube is inserted directly into your kidney to remove the stone. You will need to stay in the hospital for two to three days to receive this treatment and recover from it.

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