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Kidney Stones Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

There are several different types of kidney stones, but each of them can cause a lot of pain. Kidney stones are a build-up of crystals in the kidneys that form hard lumps, which in turn can cause pain and problems in the urinary system. Kidney stones are fairly common and affect around 15% of men and 10% of women during their lives.

Kidney stones are small chunks of solid material that can form in your kidneys, a pair of organs that filter your blood. Small stones can be as tiny as a grain of sand and may remain in the kidneys without causing any symptoms. Pain can occur as stones get bigger.

Some stones may be as big as a golf ball. If the stone moves around or gets stuck in the kidney or ureter, this can cause pain.

The "stones," which are usually yellow and brown, vary in size and shape.

For instance, some may be jagged and as small as a grain of sand, while others may be lumpy and the size of golf balls.

A stone may stay in the kidney or travel down the urinary tract — the body's waste and excess-water drainage system — and get stuck, causing severe pain in the belly or side of the back.

Other symptoms may include nausea, chills, and blood in the urine. Kidney stones can also cause infections.

Problems with kidney stones are most common between the ages of 30 and 60

What Are the Kidneys?

Part of the urinary system, your two kidneys are fist-sized, bean-shaped organs, located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine.

They have a number of important functions, mainly filtering the blood to remove waste and excess water, resulting in the formation of urine, which is stored in the bladder and emptied from the body through the urethra.

The kidneys also:

Balance the body's levels of electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, and phosphate, to maintain the body's balance of acids and bases
Produce hormones involved in regulating blood pressure, producing red blood cells, and maintaining bone strength
Prevent the buildup of waste and fluid in the body

Development of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones develop when the concentration of normal kidney substances (especially calcium, oxalate, and phosphorus) increases substantially.

This process — sometimes known as nephrolithiasis — can be due to various factors, including low fluid intake, diet, or medications such as diuretics and calcium-based antacids.

A number of issues can increase a person's risk of developing kidney stones, including:

A family history of kidney stones
Medical conditions that affect the levels of urinary substances
Urinary tract blockage
Digestive problems
Recurrent urinary tract infections

Types of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are classified by the substance that forms them. The main types of kidney stones are:

· Calcium stones

· Struvite stones

· Uric acid stones

· Cystine stones

Depending on the type, stones may be harder or softer, bigger or smaller, and more or less likely to cause pain or infections, and the treatment may differ.

Calcium stones, of which there are two forms — calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate — are the most common type of kidney stone.

In most cases, calcium oxalate stones form from high levels of calcium and oxalate in urine.

But if there are high levels of urine calcium and the urine is alkaline (has a high pH), calcium phosphate stones may form instead.

Uric acid stones develop from overly acidic (low pH) urine.

This can result from a diet high in purines, substances that are broken down to form uric acid and are found in high concentrations in animal protein.

Struvite stones, sometimes called infection stones, are made of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate, and typically form in alkaline urine.

They develop from upper urinary tract infections, including kidney infections, when bacteria produce urease, an enzyme that helps convert urea (a compound in urine) into ammonia and other products.

Cystine stones result from a genetic disorder that causes cystine, an amino acid, to leak into the urine from the kidneys.