How does kidney stones affect the kidneys

Symptoms of kidney stones Causes of kidney stones Diagnosis of kidney stones Complications of kidney stones Avoiding recurrence of kidney stones Where to get help. Types of kidney stones There are four major types of kidney stones, including: stones formed from calcium not used by the bones and muscles, combined with oxalate or phosphate — these are the most common kidney stones stones containing magnesium and the waste product ammonia — these are called struvite stones and form after urine infections uric acid stones — these are often caused by eating very large amounts of protein foods cystine stones — these are rare and hereditary.

Symptoms of kidney stones Many people with kidney stones have no symptoms. The pain may be severe enough to cause nausea and vomiting blood in the urine cloudy or bad smelling urine shivers, sweating and fever — if the urine becomes infected small stones, like gravel, passing out in the urine, often caused by uric acid stones an urgent feeling of needing to urinate, due to a stone at the bladder outlet.

Treatment for kidney stones Most kidney stones can be treated without surgery. Treatments include: extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy ESWL — ultrasound waves are used to break the kidney stone into smaller pieces, which can pass out with the urine.

ESWL is used for stones less than 2 cm in size percutaneous nephrolithotomy — for stones larger than 2cm. A small cut is made in your back, then a special instrument is used to remove the kidney stone endoscope removal — an instrument called an endoscope is inserted into the urethra, passed into the bladder and then to where the stone is located.

It allows the doctor to remove the stone or break it up so you can pass it more easily surgery — if none of these methods is suitable, the stone may need to be removed using traditional surgery. This will require a cut in your back to access your kidney and ureter to remove the stone.

Medication for kidney stones For most people with recurrent calcium stones, a combination of drinking enough fluids, avoiding urinary infections, and specific treatment with medications will significantly reduce or stop new stone formation. Causes of kidney stones A kidney stone can form when substances such as calcium, oxalate, cystine or uric acid are at high levels in the urine, although stones can form even if these chemicals are at normal levels.

Diagnosis of kidney stones Many kidney stones are discovered by chance during examinations for other conditions. Further tests may include: ultrasound CT scans x-rays, including an intravenous pyelogram IVP , where dye is injected into the bloodstream before the x-rays are taken. Analysis of kidney stones If you pass a stone, collect it and take it to your doctor for analysis.

Complications of kidney stones Kidney stones can range in size from a grain of sand to that of a pearl or even larger. Avoiding recurrence of kidney stones If you have had one kidney stone, some tips that may help to prevent a second stone forming include: Talk to your doctor about the cause of the previous stone.

Ask your doctor to check whether the medications you are on could be causing your stones. Do not stop your medications without talking to your doctor.

Get quick and proper treatment of urinary infections. Avoid dehydration. Drink enough fluids to keep your urine volume at or above two litres a day. This can halve your risk of getting a second stone by lowering the concentration of stone-forming chemicals in your urine.

Avoid drinking too much tea or coffee. Juices may reduce the risk of some stones, particularly orange, grapefruit and cranberry. Ask your doctor for advice. This can make one or both kidneys swell, causing pain in the side and back.

If it's not treated, it may cause long-term kidney damage. Most kids who get kidney stones have a health condition that increases their risk for them. These include:. Some types of kidney stones run in families, so having a relative with kidney stones can make a person more likely to get them.

Kids who have had kidney stones before are more likely to get them again. Treatment depends on the type of kidney stone and its size. Some kids only need to drink a lot of water and take pain medicines to pass a kidney stone.

Those with larger stones may need surgery or other treatments to help remove the stones. There are different types of stones. A stone that passes in pee and is caught in a strainer can be tested to see what type it is. Knowing that can help doctors find the cause and offer advice how to treat it and prevent other stones. To help pass a small stone, give your child plenty of water to drink and medicine to ease the pain. Often, over-the-counter medicines such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen are enough.

A kidney stone forms when too much of certain minerals in your body accumulate in your urine. About 1 out of every 11 people in the United States will get a kidney stone. Stones are more common in men, people who are obese, and those who have diabetes 1.

You might not notice anything is amiss until the stone moves into your ureter — the tube that urine travels through to get from your kidney to your bladder. Kidney stones are typically very painful.

Most stones will pass on their own without treatment. Here are eight signs and symptoms that you may have kidney stones. Kidney stone pain — also known as renal colic — is one of the most severe types of pain imaginable 2. The pain is intense enough to account for more than 1 million visits to emergency rooms each year 3. Usually the pain starts when a stone moves into the narrow ureter. This causes a blockage , which makes pressure build up in the kidney.

Kidney stone pain often starts suddenly. As the stone moves, the pain changes location and intensity. Pain often comes and goes in waves, which is made worse by the ureters contracting as they try to push the stone out. Each wave may last for a few minutes, disappear, and then come back again.

It may radiate to your belly and groin area as the stone moves down through your urinary tract. Even a little stone can be painful as it moves or causes a blockage. Your doctor might call this dysuria. The pain can feel sharp or burning. Treatment will depend on the type of stone you have, and how bad your symptoms are. Small kidney stones that are less than 5 mm in diameter will usually pass on their own. You should drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day to produce a large enough amount of urine to help bring the stone out.

Pain can be pretty bad when you pass a kidney stone, so your doctor may prescribe pain medicines to help as well as medications that will help the stone pass. Other medicines can decrease stone formation or help break down and remove the material that is causing you to make stones.

You may need surgery if the stone is too large to pass, the stone is growing, or the stone is blocking your urine flow. Kidney stones are painful, but you can usually pass them without causing permanent harm. However, kidney stones often come back, so you and your doctor will need to work on finding the cause of your stone. Lastly, delaying treatment can lead to serious complications, so if you think that you have kidney stones see your doctor right away.

Kidney stones are common. Some types run in families. They often occur in premature infants. There are different types of kidney stones.

The cause of the problem depends on the type of stone. Stones can form when urine contains too much of certain substances that form crystals. These crystals can develop into stones over weeks or months. The biggest risk factor for kidney stones is not drinking enough fluids. Kidney stones are more likely to occur if you make less than 1 liter 32 ounces of urine a day. You may not have symptoms until the stones move down the tubes ureters through which urine empties into your bladder.

When this happens, the stones can block the flow of urine out of the kidneys. The health care provider will perform a physical exam. The belly area abdomen or back might feel sore. Some people with severe pain from kidney stones need to stay in the hospital. You may need to get fluids through an IV into your vein. For some types of stones, your provider may prescribe medicine to prevent stones from forming or help break down and remove the material that is causing the stone.

These medicines can include:. Talk to your provider about what treatment options may work for you. You will need to take self-care steps. Which steps you take depend on the type of stone you have, but they may include:.

Kidney stones are painful, but most of the time can be removed from the body without causing lasting damage. Complication of kidney stones may include the obstruction of the ureter acute unilateral obstructive uropathy. If you have been diagnosed with blockage from a stone, passage must be confirmed either by capture in a strainer during urination or by follow-up x-ray. Being pain free does not confirm that the stone has passed. American Urological Association website.

Medical management of kidney stones Accessed Feb 13,