Overview of Kidney Stones Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

1. Overview of Kidney Stones Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Kidney stones are a condition that affects hundreds and thousands of people each year. They are actually crystals that form in the kidney and combine to form a larger stone. People who have kidney stones have a specific set of signs and symptoms they experience when the condition flares. The symptoms of kidney stones are usually extreme pain which will begin suddenly when the stone moves in the urinary tract and blocks the flow of urine. Very typically the individual will feel a sharp and cramping pain in the back on the side of the kidney that is affected. The person can also experience nausea and vomiting. Causes, Types of Kidney Stones, and How They Form The formation of the stones occurs when the normal balance of water, salt, minerals and other substances in the urine changes. The balance of the changes determines the type of stone that develops. Factors that affect these balances include not drinking enough water and medical conditions such as gout, inflammatory bowel disease and bowel surgery which changes the way the body processes calcium.

2. The current research and theory holds that kidney stones form when the urine contains too much of substances that create small crystals that later become stones. If a person gets kidney stones once they are more likely to develop them again later. Kidney stones can also occur in infants that are born prematurely. And certain types of the stones appear to run in families. Other types of stones happen more frequently when the individual suffers from obesity, renal tube defects, bowel disease or ileal bypass. The reasons the stones develop are dependent upon the types of stones that have developed. For instance, calcium stones are the most common. They occur more frequently in men than women and usually between ages 20-30. The calcium in the urine combines with other substances, such as oxalate, phosphate or carbonate to form the stone. In other instances the stones are formed in people who suffer from cystinuria which is a disorder that runs in families and affects both men and women. In there are many different kinds of kidney stones like cystine stone is formed. Struvite stones are found more frequently in women who have urinary tract infections. These particular stones grow very large and can block the kidney, ureter or the bladder causing an immediate problem that must be addressed to save the health of the kidney or bladder. Uric acid stones are more common in men than women and happen most frequently when the sufferer is experiencing gout or chemotherapy. Uric acid stones form because of the changes in the pH of the body system. Treatment Conventional Kidney Stone Treatment Options: To help ease the symptoms of patients suffering with Kidney Stones, diet and lifestyle adjustments are nearly always suggested, coupled with a variety of medical treatments. Changes in Diet and Lifestyle: Depending on the type of kidney stone, your doctor may advise you to eat more or less particular foods. Medicines: Stone treatment medications range from pain relievers to powerful pharmaceuticals that help dissolve the stones. Smaller stones can be mostly dissolved naturally, but passing them can still be uncomfortable, therefore doctors give pain relievers to assist patients cope. To help 1

3. relax and widen the muscles of the ureters, Kidney Stone Specialists may give alpha-blockers such as Uroxatral, Cardura, or Flomax for moderate-sized stones. Physical Treatment: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) or ureteroscopy may be prescribed for more severe cases to break up stones and make them easier to pass. Shock waves are used in ESWL therapy to break up kidney stones while they are still inside the body. A surgeon puts a tiny tube up the urinary canal and then inserts devices into the tube to physically break up the stones during a ureteroscopy surgery. Surgery: is the last resort and clearly the most dangerous. In some situations, doctors may prescribe surgery to remove stones that are too large to dissolve before they do more injury to the patient. A surgeon performs nephrolithotripsy by making a small incision in the back and removing the stone from the kidney, whereas open surgery, which is rarely used today, involves making an incision in the stomach or side and removing the stone from there. 2