This article will discuss what kidney stones are, what causes them, their symptoms, treatments, and prevention. There are four main types of kidney stones. One article states that calcium stones are the most common type of kidney stones.
A kidney stone made out of calcium oxalate with COD crystals will have jagged edges. However, a kidney stone formed out of calcium oxalate with COM crystals, which is more common, will have a smooth surface.
Another crystal, brushite, forms little rosettes of very thin, sharp crystals. Uric acid stones are usually pebble-like in appearance. Some of these stones may be hard on the outside, but softer on the inside as they consist of different types of uric acid and calcium oxalate monohydrate. Cystine stones are the result of cystinuria, which is a condition that can pass down through families. Kidneys produce cystine, a type of amino acid, and in people with cystinuria, this amino acid leaks through the kidneys and into the urine.
The kidney usually filters out waste chemicals in urine, such as calcium and phosphate. However, sometimes the kidney is not able to filter these waste products out. According to the National Kidney Foundation , this can happen when there is too much waste and not enough liquid in the kidney, causing crystals to form.
Once these crystals form into kidney stones, the stones may stay in the kidney or travel down the urinary tract. However, sometimes people cannot pass these stones, which causes a back up of urine in the body, causing pain. According to the Urology Care Foundation , smaller stones are more likely to pass than larger stones, as they are less likely to block the urinary tract. People are likely to experience pain when passing a kidney stone. If the pain is unbearable, people should see a doctor.
The doctor may prescribe stronger pain relief medication, anti-nausea drugs, or a medicine called tamsulosin. Tamsulosin relaxes the ureter, a part of the urinary tract, making it easier for people to pass the kidney stone. A doctor may ask a person to use a device to catch the kidney stones, so they can identify what type of kidney stone it is and recommend treatment.
According to one article, the average size of a ureter is 3—4 millimeters mm wide. If a person has large kidney stones or stones that block the urinary tract, a doctor may recommend surgical removal. When people have their kidney stones removed, a urologist, a medical professional specializing in surgeries of this nature, removes the kidney stones or breaks them into small pieces. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.
Overview Female urinary system Open pop-up dialog box Close. Female urinary system Your urinary system — which includes your kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra — removes waste from your body through urine. Male urinary system Open pop-up dialog box Close. Male urinary system Your urinary system — which includes your kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra — removes waste from your body through urine.
Kidney stones Open pop-up dialog box Close. Kidney stones Kidney stones form in your kidneys. Email address. First Name let us know your preferred name. Last Name.
Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Goldman L, et al.
In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Accessed Jan. Kidney stones. McKean SC, et al. In: Principles and Practice of Hospital Medicine. McGraw-Hill Education; What are kidney stones? American Urological Association. Kellerman RD, et al. In: Conn's Current Therapy Elsevier; When there is too much waste in too little liquid, crystals begin to form.
The crystals attract other elements and join together to form a solid that will get larger unless it is passed out of the body with the urine. Usually, these chemicals are eliminated in the urine by the body's master chemist: the kidney. In most people, having enough liquid washes them out or other chemicals in urine stop a stone from forming.
The stone-forming chemicals are calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphate. After it is formed, the stone may stay in the kidney or travel down the urinary tract into the ureter. Sometimes, tiny stones move out of the body in the urine without causing too much pain.
But stones that don't move may cause a back-up of urine in the kidney, ureter, the bladder, or the urethra. This is what causes the pain. Possible causes include drinking too little water, exercise too much or too little , obesity, weight loss surgery, or eating food with too much salt or sugar.
Infections and family history might be important in some people. Eating too much fructose correlates with increasing risk of developing a kidney stone. Fructose can be found in table sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Some kidney stones are as small as a grain of sand. Others are as large as a pebble. A few are as large as a golf ball! As a general rule, the larger the stone, the more noticeable are the symptoms.
The kidney stone starts to hurt when it causes irritation or blockage. This builds rapidly to extreme pain. In most cases, kidney stones pass without causing damage-but usually not without causing a lot of pain. Pain relievers may be the only treatment needed for small stones. Other treatment may be needed, especially for those stones that cause lasting symptoms or other complications. In severe cases, however, surgery may be required.
The treatment for kidney stones is similar in children and adults. You may be asked to drink a lot of water. Doctors try to let the stone pass without surgery. You may also get medication to help make your urine less acid. But if it is too large, or if it blocks the flow of urine, or if there is a sign of infection, it is removed with surgery. Shock-wave lithotripsy is a noninvasive procedure that uses high-energy sound waves to blast the stones into fragments that are then more easily passed out in the urine.
In ureteroscopy , an endoscope is inserted through the ureter to retrieve or obliterate the stone. See a doctor as soon as possible. You may be asked to drink extra fluid in an attempt to flush out the stone out in the urine. If you strain your urine and can save a piece of the stone that has passed, bring it to your doctor.
Or, the stone may need to be removed with surgery. Diagnosis of a kidney stone starts with a medical history, physical examination, and imaging tests. Your doctors will want to know the exact size and shape of the kidney stones. This can be done with a high resolution CT scan from the kidneys down to the bladder or an x-ray called a "KUB x-ray'' kidney-ureter-bladder x-ray which will show the size of the stone and its position.
The KUB x-ray is often obtained by the surgeons to determine if the stone is suitable for shock wave treatment. The KUB test may be used to monitor your stone before and after treatment, but the CT scan is usually preferred for diagnosis. In some people, doctors will also order an intravenous pyelogram or lVP, a special type of X- ray of the urinary system that is taken after injecting a dye. Second, your doctors will decide how to treat your stone.
The health of your kidneys will be evaluated by blood tests and urine tests. Your overall health, and the size and location of your stone will be considered. Later, your doctor will want to find the cause of the stone.
The stone will be analyzed after it comes out of your body, and your doctor will test your blood for calcium, phosphorus and uric acid.
The doctor may also ask that you collect your urine for 24 hours to test for calcium and uric acid.
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