Kidney stones or renal calculus is one of the most painful conditions but also one of the most frequent. Although in most cases kidney stones pass on their own without the need for treatment, there are occasions when they present complications.
Kidney stones or kidney stones: what is it?
The kidneys are the organs that are responsible for processing waste from our body. Once processed, the waste becomes urine and reaches the bladder through the ureters.
Sometimes the kidney cannot convert all the waste into urine and that is when it solidifies into small crystals and the so-called stones appear. The stone can be expelled through the urine without the need to go to the doctor, which happens very frequently. But it can happen that the stone stays in the kidney and gets bigger, which would cause serious damage to our body. It can also happen that the stone, due to its size, gets stuck in the bladder or urethra, blocking the flow of urine and causing great pain.
Kidney stones can come in many sizes, from a grain of sand to the size of a golf ball. Yellow or brown in color, they can be smooth or have spikes. And the pain they cause will depend on their characteristics.
Symptoms of kidney stones
Kidney stones may not present symptoms during their formation and may not cause discomfort until they are already blocking the flow of urine. It is then that the symptoms appear, the main one being intense pain that can disappear suddenly. The pain can be located in the abdomen or on one side of the back, but also in the groin area.
Other symptoms that may appear are chills, nausea, vomiting, and fever, abnormal color in the urine or even blood. When these discomforts occur, it is absolutely necessary to see a doctor who will establish the treatment according to the type of kidney stone.
Causes of kidney stones
The causes of the appearance of kidney stones are various, as well as the types of stones that are formed. The most common are calcium stones, which form when calcium that is not removed properly mixes with other substances. Striate stones usually occur after a urinary infection. Uric acid stones can also form due to an unbalanced diet and cysteine stones, which are hereditary.
Treatment of kidney stones
The treatment will be different depending on the type of stone that is present and can vary from appropriate medication to break down the stone in the body itself and eliminate it with urine, to surgery, which will be necessary if the stone is too large, or if it continues to grow. And causes excruciating pain. Fortunately, current surgical techniques to remove kidney stones are minimally invasive.
In most cases, a change in diet will suffice to prevent the reappearance of stones and it is also advisable to drink a large amount of water as a preventive measure.
