INTRODUCTION: Kidney stones, one of the most painful of the urological disorders, have troubled mankind for centuries. They develop when there is a high level of calcium oxalate or uric acid in the urine; a lack of citrate in the urine; or not enough water in the kidneys to dissolve waste products.
They are most prevalent in people between the ages of 30 and 45, and the incidence declines after age 50. They may be as little as a grain of sand or as large as a pearl and often do not produce any symptoms.
SYMPTOMS: Stones that produce lasting symptoms or other complications may be treated using a variety of techniques, most of which do not need major surgery. Ocassionly "silent" stones (those that do not cause symptoms) are found on x-rays taken during a general health examination. The MD determines if the patient has a history of kidney stones, documents past medical conditions, and evaluates present symptoms. When the stone enters the bladder, the blockage in the ureter is relieved and the symptoms are resolved.
Kidney stones typically leave the body by passage in the urine stream, and many are formed and passed without causing any symptoms. People with severe symptoms might need to be hospitalized. Call your health care provider if you have symptoms or if symptoms return, urination becomes painful, urine output decreases, or new symptoms develop.
TREATMENT: Treatment varies, depending on the type of stone and the cause and often includes pain medication and increased fluids (to drink) until the stone is passed. If a stone has been removed, or if the patient has passed a stone and saved it, an analysis by the laboratory may aid the doctor in planning treatment. A second 24-hour urine sample may be needed to determine whether the prescribed treatment is successful.
Today, treatment for kidney stones is greatly improved, and many options do not require major surgery and can be performed in an outpatient setting. 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. Sometimes the stone is not completely shattered with one treatment, and additional ones may be needed. As with any interventional, surgical procedure, potential risks and complications should be discussed with your doctor before making a final decision.
If no specific treatment is available, you may be able to stave off additional stones simply by drinking more water and making a few dietary modifications. After treatment, the pain may return if the stone moves and causes blockage in another place. The goal of treatment is to relieve and prevent more symptoms.
CONCLUSION: Kidney stones are small, hard deposits of mineral and acid salts on the inner surfaces of your kidneys and develop when a change occurs in the normal balance of water, salts, minerals, and other things found in urine. They are very painful but often can be removed from the body without producing permanent damage. They often cause no pain while in the kidneys, but can produce sudden, severe pain while traveling to the bladder.
They are more common in developed nations and do have regional variation in occurrence. They occur all year; however, more people seem to develop or become aware of stones during the summer months. They are an ancient affliction dating back to the age of the Egyptian pyramids, yet are still a common malady today. Stones are usually passed out of the body within 48 hours, but attacks can sometimes last for over 30 days. Most however, pass out of the body without help from a doctor.
If someone in your family has them, you're more likely to develop them too and if you've already had one or more, you're at increased risk of developing another. Most people who develop stones are between 20 and 70 years of age. Having high blood pressure doubles your risk.
According to The National Institute of Health, one person in ten develops kidney stones during their lifetime and renal stone disease accounts for ten out of every thousand hospital admissions. Conventional wisdom and common sense have long held that consumption of too much calcium could promote the production of kidney stones. However, current evidence suggests that the consumption of low-calcium diets is ACTUALLY associated with a greater overall risk for the development of kidney stones. Call your physician immediately if you have symptoms that suggest you have them.
