Kidney stones: symptoms, treatments, and prevention

Nausea, vomiting, and pain extending to the lower groin. Diagnosis is made with a simple ultrasound. If the stones are small, they last a couple of days before being expelled.

di |
kidney stones

Kidney stones, or also defined as kidney stones, is one of the most common and ancient forms of urinary tract infection. It results in the formation of small stones, called stones (from the Latin calculus, Stones (small stones) of various sizes in the urinary tract, causing pain, burning, and difficulty urinating. Ninety percent of stones are made of calcium oxalate and are radiopaque; in 10 percent of cases, they are made of calcium phosphate.

Cause

Among the most common and scientifically studied causes is undoubtedly heredity: in families where one parent suffers from kidney stones, it's very likely that one of the children will also have the problem. A second cause is poor hydration, failing to drink at least two liters of water a day. And there are also: an unhealthy and unbalanced diet, with excessive salt and/or protein, obesity, the use of certain antibiotics, and digestive diseases.

Symptoms

As long as the stones remain in the kidneys, there are no particularly significant complaints or symptoms, apart from vague backache, twinges, and aches. Things change dramatically when the stones end up in the ureter and cause colic. At that point, the symptoms become very severe:

  • Sharp pain that radiates down to the groin
  • Severe pain in one side or back, under the ribs
  • Nausea e vomiting
  • Cold sweats
  • Pallor
  • Tachycardia
  • Restlessness
  • Temperature and shivers
  • Urgency to urinate very frequently
  • Traces of blood in the urine

Diagnosis

The initial diagnosis of kidney stones is made through ultrasound. Subsequently, and if the doctor requests it, a CT scan is performed, almost always without contrast media. 

Remedies

The goal of these remedies is to expel the stones. If they are small, no larger than 4 millimeters in diameter, they will pass naturally in the urine within a couple of days. One condition: drink plenty of water to facilitate their expulsion. If the pain is severe, and if your doctor allows it, you can take a simple painkiller.  

Treatments

If the stones are too large to be expelled naturally (6-7 millimetres in diameter), various techniques can be used:

  • extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy
  • Minimally invasive retrograde ureterorenoscopic lytrophoresis 
  • ureteroscopy
  • percutaneous nephrolithotomy
  • open surgery

Complications

The complication of calculosis is the renal colic, a sharp pain that starts in the side and radiates downward and anteriorly, reaching the testicle in men, and the groin in women. If a urinary tract infection occurs, fever may occur and, depending on the location (urethra, bladder, kidney), urethritis, cystitis, cystopyelitis, or nephritis. If the stone completely obstructs the ureter, it will cause urine retention and kidney damage (hydronephrosis).

Prevention

Prevention is very important, also to avoid the very frequent relapses. Among the things to do:

  • Drink plenty of water, especially between meals. About 2-3 liters a day helps prevent waste products from becoming too concentrated and facilitating the formation of stones.
  • Avoid eating too salty dishes
  • Don't overdo foods that contain calcium oxalate, such as chocolate, peanuts, almonds, leeks, and soy products.
  • Increase your fruit and vegetable consumption

Read also: 

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date. Click here!

Want to see a selection of our news?

Don't Waste