Kidney Stone: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

What is Kidney Stone?

Kidney stone are hard deposit made of minerals and salts that form inside our kidneys.
A kidney stone is a solid, pebble-like piece of material that can develop in one or both kidneys when the urine contains excessive amounts of a particular mineral.
Kidney stone is commonly known as renal calculi, renal lithiasis, nephrolithiasis etc.
A kidney stone is an irregularly-shaped solid mass or crystal that can be as small as a grain of sand up to the size of a golf ball.
Kidney stones can affect any part of your urinary tract — from your kidneys to your bladder.
There are four different types of kidney stones. They are:
- Calcium stone (most common type): 80% of stones
- Uric acid stone: 5-10% of stones
- Struvite/infection stone: 10% of stones
- Cystine stone: less than 1% of stones
If handled timely by a medical professional, kidney stones seldom result in permanent harm.

Causes of Kidney Stone

Although a number of variables may raise your risk, kidney stones sometimes lack a clear, identifiable cause.
Kidney stones develop when your urine contains more crystal-forming components than the fluid in your urine can dissolve, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid.
Dehydration, high sodium intake and high vitamin C supplementation are also some of the common causes of kidney stone
Stone forming substances are:
- Calcium
- Oxalate
- Phosphate
- Uric acid
- Crystine (rare)
- Xanthine (rare)

Warning Signs of Kidney Stone

Belly or back discomfort
Urination discomfort
Urine that is pink, cloudy, or smells bad
Urge to urinate suddenly
Reduced urine flow

Risk Factors for Kidney Stone

Low volume of urine

Dehydration from strenuous activity, working or living in a hot environment, or not consuming enough fluids, could be the cause of low volume of urine.
There is less fluid to keep salts dissolved when urine volume is low because urine is concentrated.

Diet

High calcium levels in the urine are one of the more frequent causes of calcium kidney stones.
It isn’t necessarily a result of your calcium intake. It is uncommon to prevent stones from forming by reducing the calcium in your diet.
Your doctor may try to lower your urine calcium level by reducing your sodium (salt) intake rather than by lowering your dietary calcium intake.
Calcium stones are at risk from a diet high in salt.
High consumption of meat and poultry products also increase the risk of calcium stone

Bowel Disorders

The chance of developing calcium oxalate kidney stones can be increased by certain bowel diseases that produce diarrhea (such Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) or procedures (like gastric bypass surgery).

Obesity

Obesity may alter the urine’s acid composition, which could result in the production of stones.

Medical conditions

Kidney stones are more likely to develop in certain medical situations.
High calcium levels in the blood and urine can result from abnormal growth of one or more of the parathyroid glands, which regulate calcium metabolism. Kidney stones may result from this.
Moreover, other medical conditions that increase the risk of developing kidney stones are:

- Hypercalciuria (high calcium levels in your urine)
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Osteoporosis
- Gout and cystic fibrosis
- Kidney cysts
- Parathyroid disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease and chronic diarrhea
- Some surgical procedures, including weight loss surgery or other stomach or intestine surgeries

Medication

Your chance of developing stones may be increased by some drugs, calcium, and vitamin C supplements.
These medications include:

- Diuretics (water pills).
- Calcium-based antacids (used to treat osteoporosis).
- Crixivan® (used to treat HIV infections).
- Topamax® and Dilantin® (used to treat seizures).
- Cipro® (ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic).
- Ceftriaxone (an antibiotic).

Family Background

If you have a history of kidney stones in your family, your risk of developing kidney stones is substantially higher.

Stages of Passing a Kidney Stone

Stage 1

Once a kidney stone has formed, both kidneys may contract in an effort to expel the stone.
Serious back or side discomfort may result from this, and it may manifest itself in waves of pain.

Stage 2

The stone enters the ureter at this point.
This stage can also result in discomfort and extreme pressure, depending on the size of the stone.

Stage 3

The majority of the pain will go away once the stone has passed through to the bladder.
However, the need to urinate more frequently and higher bladder pressure could happen.
In some instances, the stone may momentarily become lodged at the urethral opening, obstructing urine flow.

Stage 4

Once the stone has passed through the urethra, the process is over.
To pass the kidney stone through the urethral opening with the urine at this point, you must exert a lot of force.

Symptoms and Signs of Kidney Stone

Until a kidney stone moves around or enters one of the ureters, symptoms are typically not present.

A kidney stone that becomes stuck in the ureters can restrict the urine’s flow, cause inflammation of the kidney, and cause the ureter to spasm, all of which can be excruciatingly painful.

You can then experience the following symptoms:

Severe, stabbing pain below the ribcage on the side and back
Lower abdominal and groin pain that is radiated
When urinating, there may be pain or burning sensation
Other signs and symptoms of kidney stone could be:
Red, pink, or brown urine
Urine that is cloudy or smells bad
A constant want to urinate, urinating more frequently than normal, or urinating infrequently
Vomiting and nausea
Blood in the urine
Fever and chills, if an infection is present

Diagnosis

Precisely, diagnosis of kidney stone can be done through following methods:

1. Imaging tests

Imaging tests like X-ray, CT-scan and ultrasound looks at size, shape, location and number of your kidney stones.
When an X-ray is obtained during a physical exam, kidney stones that are “silent,” or that don’t cause any symptoms, are frequently discovered.
Tests like an ultrasound or a CT scan may be used to identify a stone in a patient who has blood in the urine (hematuria) or abrupt side or abdominal pain.
These imaging techniques reveal to the medical professional the size and location of the stone.
When a stone is suspected, a CT scan is frequently done in the ER. It is employed because it has a rapid and accurate diagnosing capability.

2. Blood test

Blood test reveals how well the kidney is functioning, checks for infection and other biochemical problems

3. Urine test

Urine test looks for signs of infection and assesses the level of substances that can form kidney stone

Prevention

A crucial preventive action is proper hydration. It is advised to consume enough liquid to produce at least 2.5 liters of pee every day. In order to flush the kidneys, increase the amount of urine you pass.
Substituting fruit juice, ginger ale, and lemon-lime soda for water to assist boost fluid intake. Citrate juices may aid in preventing the formation of stones if the cause of the stones is low citrate levels.
Kidney stone risk can also be decreased by consuming oxalate-rich foods in moderation, as well as less salt and animal proteins.
Taking prescribed drugs to aid in preventing the formation of uric and calcium stones.

Treatment/Medication

Kidney stone may be removed or broken up into small pieces by medical professionals in order to treat it.
It may be treated with shockwave lithotripsy, uteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithomy or nephrolithotripsy.
It can also be avoided by getting enough water, altering your diet, or using medications.