Kidney Stone - Types, Causes, symptoms and Treatment

What is a kidney stone?     

The kidney stones contain minerals and salts in the body waste that is urine; combine together forming small solid mass like stone.  The sizes of stones vary from small as sand granules to large as like of golf balls. They are located in the kidneys or may also travel out by urinary tract through urine discharge. The urinary system is track making urine and carrying this body waste out. It consists of kidneys, the connection tubes, bladder, and tubes connecting bladder and urethra which leads urine out from the body. 

 The pain is seen when this solid part travels through a urethra, causing uneasiness and other painful symptoms. The change in balance of minerals, salts and water in the body is formed by kidney stones.

What causes kidney stones?

One of the most common causes of developing kidney stone is not drinking enough water. Low intake of water makes you prone to have painful kidney stone. This is because the waste products found in urine are salts and minerals could not mix properly and stick together forming firm part like stone.

Other causes are some medical condition by which patient is suffering from like stomach disorder or inflammatory bowel disease.

This can also be a genetic disorder that travels in family. Family histories of developing stones are at risks. Too much of calcium in body also leads to the condition of stones.

What are the types of kidney stones?

The stones are formed with various contents; all solid stones are not same. They belong to various types, they are

·         Calcium stones- calcium oxalate stones.

·         Uric acid stones- people with some disorders like gout can be affected by this type or undergone by chemotherapy.

·         Struvite- found in women, this obstructs urine. Very painful.

·         Cystine- this is due to genetic disorder.

What are the symptoms of kidney stones?

The stones formed in kidneys are not painful or does not show any symptoms. On the off chance that they stay in the kidney, they normally don't bring about torment. When they go out of the body through the urinary tract (counting the ureters, which join the kidney to the bladder, or the urethra, which leads outside the body), their development may bring about:

 

·         No side effects, if the stone is sufficiently small.

·         Sudden, extreme pain that deteriorates in waves. Stones may bring about serious torment in the back, side, midriff, crotch, or private parts. Individuals who have had a kidney stone regularly portray the torment.

·         Feeling wiped out to the stomach (sickness) and retching.

·         Blood in the urine discharge (hematuria), which can happen either with stones that stay in the kidney or with those that go through the ureters.

·         Frequent and painful urination, which may happen when the stone is in the ureter or after the stone has left the bladder and is in the urethra.

How are kidney stones treated?

If the stones are too large to pass through urine, doctor recommends surgery types. Treatment types are now advanced and open surgery is not required as new minimal invasive methods replaced conventional methods. Some techniques are

1.      Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)

2.      Ureterorenoscopy 

3.      Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)

4.      Open surgery

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the very effective and commonly used process to treat kidney stones. In this procedure, waves of shock are developed around the body which will pass through skin and tissues of the body, where the stone is hit by these waves. Now the stone starts to break into small pieces which will pass in urine through urinary tract.

This method is very common with high degree of success and also with lower risks and complications.

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