Kidney stonesare very common and are one of most painful disorders occurring in the body of a person. Numbers of people suffering from kidney stones is continuously increasing. About 6-7% of U.S population is suffering from kidney stones.
Kidney stone has been described as a hard mass that develops from the crystals separated from urine in the urinary tract. If size of stone is very small or small, it is passed out of the body and a person is not able to notice the same. However, if the size of stone is considerable, a person may suffer from pain and calls for treatment.
Kidney stones contain many types of chemicals in varied combination. most common combination is of calcium and phosphate or oxalate. There are many causes given for the formation of kidney stones. for example, stone can be formed due to intake of certain food substances that contain large quantities of calcium and other minerals. If a person has family history of stone formation, there are chances that he can suffer from kidney stones. Stone formation can also take place due to infection in the urinary tract. Similarly, kidney disorders or diseases can also result in stone formation in the body. Certain types of metabolic disorders also result in stone formation. for example, hyperparathyroidism is one such disorder.
There is also a rare hereditary disease called as renal tubular acidosis which leads to stone formation. Some disorders like hyperoxaluria, in which excess production of oxalate occurs in the body and cystinuria, in which excess quantities of cystine are released in body, also causes stone formation. these two disorders are generally inherited. Uric acid disorder like hyperuricosuria also causes kidney stones.
People who undergo intestinal bypass operations or who suffer from chronic bower inflammation are likely to develop kidney stones. If a person consumes high oxalate foods like beets, spinach, wheat germ, peanuts, chocolates, sweet potatoes etc, he may suffer from kidney stones.
First and foremost symptom of kidney stone is extreme pain, which occurs due to movement of stone in urinary tract. It is felt in side and back areas of kidney in lower abdominal region. in some cases, pain is accompanied by vomiting, nausea etc. If size of stone is very large, pain may continue and blood may appear in urine. sometimes, burning sensation is also felt during urination. these symptoms may be noticed along with fever or chills.