A kidney stone is a solid mass made up of tiny crystals in your kidney or urinary tract. Kidney stones are mainly caused when dissolved minerals build up inside the kidneys. They can move into the urinary tract and that’s where they can cause problems. Stones are quite common and tend to run in families.
Dr Praveen Pushkar, MBBS, MS(Surgery), DNB(Urology) at Pristyn Care says, “Some of the factors that contribute to their development may also include a low fluid consumption, dietary intake, and a person’s medical history. Kidney stones may be small and pass unnoticed through the urinary tract, but some grow to the size of a golf. They can form in weeks or months when your urine contains too much of certain substances. There are several kinds of kidney stones. Calcium stones are by far the most common kind. Larger stones can cause severe pain as they leave the body.”
Earliest signs of kidney stones
Vikas Chawla, Ayurveda expert at Vedas Cure lists the following signs that can signal towards kidney stones:
- Pain in the lower abdomen, one side or back- sudden pain in the lower abdomen or one side of the upper body or around the back can be one of the early symptoms of kidney stones.
- Painful or burning sensation while urinating- If you experience pain while urinating or feel inflation, you must consult a doctor immediately.
- Discoloured urine- If your urine is discoloured, pink, brown or red, this may be a severe indication of a kidney stone.
- Nausea or vomiting- Feeling like nausea or vomiting despite any traces of food poisoning or any other evident disease, you might have a kidney stone that needs immediate attention.
- Fever- Sudden fever, if not viral, may be an indication of the illness.
Symptoms of kidney stones
“Usually, there are no symptoms until they move around in the kidney or pass into the ureter (the muscular tube that connects the kidney to the bladder). Small stones can pass out of the body with little or no pain. Larger stones in the urinary system may get stuck and can cause symptoms like a severe sharp pain that starts suddenly, usually in your belly or one side of your back, and it may go away just as quickly,” says Dr. Pushkar.
Other symptoms can include abnormal urine colour, blood in your urine, fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting. Sometimes, a stone that’s too big to move can create a backup of pee. 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.
Reasons for kidney stones
Kidney stones mostly affect adults. But kids and teens can get them. Those who get kidney stones have health conditions such as obesity, how the urinary tract is formed, special diets intake, metabolic disorder, diabetes etc. Other factors include too much salt intake and not having enough water. So, what do you do about kidney stones? Well, your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam.
“You may need blood tests, kidney function tests, and tests that look for crystals in your urine. Several imaging tests, like a CT scan, can see stones or a blockage in your urinary tract. This helps doctors decide on the best treatment,” advises Dr. Pushkar.
Treatment
Treatment will depend on the type of stone you have, and how bad your symptoms are. Some need to drink a lot of water per day to produce a large enough amount of urine to help bring the stone out and take pain medicines to pass a kidney stone since pain can be pretty bad when you pass a kidney stone. Doctors can also suggest taking alpha-blockers to help the stone pass more quickly and avoiding salt and sodas. Those with larger stones, or the stone is growing, or the stone is blocking your urine flow may need surgery or other treatments to help remove the stones. To get rid of large stones and stones that are damaging the kidneys, doctors can do a procedure in order to break up the stone into smaller pieces which can pass on their own or be removed with a scope or surgery.
