TZPSS Articles | Health | Kidney Stone, Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

KIDNEY STONES

Kidney stones, one of the most painful of the urologic disorders,
are not a product of modern life. In 2000, patients made 2.7
million visits to health care providers and more than 600,000
patients went to emergency rooms for kidney stone problems.
Men tend to be affected more frequently than women.
Most kidney stones pass out of the body without any
intervention by a physician.

About 5% of American women and 12% of men will develop a
kidney stone at some time in their life, and prevalence has been
rising in both sexes. Approximately 80% of kidney stones are
composed of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate, 10% of
struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate produced during
infection with bacteria that possess the enzyme urease), 9% of
uric acid; and the remaining 1% are composed of cystine or
ammonium acid urate or are diagnosed as drug-related stones.

What causes kidney stones?
Certain foods may promote stone formation in people who are
susceptible. A person with a family history of kidney stones may
be more likely to develop stones. Urinary tract infections, kidney
disorders such as cystic kidney diseases, and certain metabolic
disorders such as hyperparathyroidism are also linked to stone
formation. In addition, more than 70 percent of people with a
rare hereditary disease called renal tubular acidosis develop
kidney stones.

Cystinuria and hyperoxaluria are two other rare, inherited
metabolic disorders that often cause kidney stones.

Other causes of kidney stones are hyperuricosuria which is a
disorder of uric acid metabolism, gout, excess intake of vitamin D,
urinary tract infections, and blockage of the urinary tract. Certain
diuretics which are commonly called water pills or calcium-based
antacids may increase the risk of forming kidney stones by
increasing the amount of calcium in the urine.

Calcium oxalate stones may also form in people who have a
chronic inflammation of the bowel or who have had an intestinal
bypass operation, or ostomy surgery. As mentioned above,
struvite stones can form in people who have had a urinary tract
infection. People who take the protease inhibitor indinavir, a drug
used to treat HIV infection, are at risk of developing kidney
stones.

What are the symptoms of kidney stones?
Kidney stones often do not cause any symptoms. But, symptoms
include: (1) extreme pain in your back or side, (2) blood in urine,
(3) fever and chills, (4) vomiting, (5) urine that smells bad or
looks cloudy and (6) a burning feeling when you urinate.

How are kidney stones treated?
Most kidney stones can pass through the urinary system with
plenty of water (2 to 3 quarts a day) to help move the stone
along. Often, you can stay home during this process, drinking
fluids and taking pain medication as needed. The doctor usually
asks you to save the passed stone(s) for testing.

Your doctor can use a machine, e.g. shock waves-extracorporeal
shockwave lithotripsy, to send shock waves directly to the kidney
stone. The shock waves break a large stone into small stones
that will pass through your urinary system with your urine.

What can I do to avoid more stones?
Drink more water. Try to drink 12 full glasses of water a day.
Drinking lots of water helps to flush away the substances that
form stones in the kidneys.

You can also drink ginger ale, lemon-lime sodas, and fruit juices.
But water is best. Limit your coffee, tea, and cola to one or two
cups a day because the caffeine may cause you to lose fluid too
quickly.

People prone to forming calcium oxalate stones may be asked by
their doctor to cut back on certain foods if their urine contains an
excess of oxalate: beets, chocolate, coffee, cola, nuts, rhubarb,
spinach, strawberries, tea and wheat bran.

This article can not be replaced for medical advice. If you have question, you should consult with your
doctor immediately. ALL RIGHT RESERVED 2007

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