Kidney Stones: Treatment and Prevention

Rohan is a healthy man in his mid-thirties. Recently, he started to feel intense pain in his groin frequently throughout the day. Along with this, he also experienced nausea and vomiting. Upon getting a medical examination, he was diagnosed with kidney stones. Although kidney stones are a fairly common disorder, how did Rohan develop them?

The digestive system dissolves nutrients, minerals, and vitamins from the foods and liquids you consume. Kidney stones are caused when undissolved minerals get deposited along the inner lining of the kidney. In time, these minerals harden and crystallize, eventually forming a stone in the kidney. Moreover, one can also find stones in your ureters, bladder, and urethra. Some kidney stones can grow as big as a golf ball and cause excruciating pain while others may remain small and pass through the urinary tract. Even while leaving the body, they can cause pain and restlessness due to their crystalline structure.

What Are The Symptoms of Kidney Stones?

Some signs of kidney stones include severe pain in the groin, urine with traces of blood and pus, burning sensation during urination, and a constant urge to urinate. In cases of infection due to such kidney stones, the person may even contract a fever. Vomiting and nausea are also signs of kidney stones. In some instances, there can be discolouration with a foul smell to the urine.

What Are The Causes of Kidney Stones?

Excessive amounts of uric acid, the primary component of urine, when undissolved can cause kidney stones. The most common reason for this is the lack of water consumption. Most patients diagnosed with kidney stones have been known to consume less water. Water helps clear the toxins in your body and when you consume less of it, minerals fail to dissolve properly and clump inside your bladder or kidney and such crystallization takes place. Moreover, the body may also lack certain nutrients that prevent such clumping. Sometimes heredity can also be the cause of developing kidney stones.

How To Prevent Kidney Stones?

Kidney stone prevention requires some dietary and lifestyle changes. It can be as basic as increasing your water or fluid consumption to taking medical assistance in extreme cases. To prevent kidney stones at home, you should increase your water consumption to at least eight glasses per day. You can include other fluids such as fresh fruit juices as well.

Orange juice and lemonade are an excellent alternative to kidney stone prevention as they contain citrate, the element that prevents such crystallized formations. Consuming appropriate amounts of calcium and sodium also helps in kidney stone prevention. Oxalate is a compound found naturally in foods that bind with calcium to form kidney stones. So remember not to overeat oxalate-rich foods.

Foods rich with animal protein are acidic and may cause kidney stones. Along with the above, consuming too many Vitamin C supplements can also lead to stone formation.

What Are The Types Of Kidney Stones And Their Cure?

Kidney stones are not only made up of calcium but other minerals too. Although calcium stones are most common, there are different types of kidney stones.

Kidney stones made up of uric acid are among the types of kidney stones that men commonly suffer from. Such crystallization of the uric acid takes places when the acidity levels in the urine rise.

Kidney stones made up of uric acid are among the types of kidney stones that men commonly suffer from. Such crystallization of the uric acid takes places when the acidity levels in the urine rise.

As such, kidney stone treatment depends on the type of stone you have been diagnosed with. Kidney stone treatment for smaller crystals is free of any medical procedures. Pain relievers, medical therapy, and drinking copious amounts of water is sufficient to treat them. Bigger kidney stone treatment, however, needs precaution as they are too large to pass through the urinary tract or can cause bleeding with intense pain. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is a procedure that breaks down the larger stones such that they can flow through the urinary tract. Alternatively, a ureteroscope can be passed through the bladder to break such kidney stones. Other methods involving surgery also need to be performed in extreme cases.

Bottom line, make sure you consume adequate amounts of water to be healthy at all times. Stay hydrated, stay fit! Health Insurance ensures you that you stay alert and stay secure in moments of emergencies. Click here to learn about more ailments like tuberculosis, coronary artery disease, leukemia etc. on our health insurance blog so that you are well informed.