Understanding Kidney Stone Disease Symptoms and Treatment

Kidney stone disease or nephrolithiasis is a condition when hard stone-like material forms in the kidneys. The material is derived from residual waste substances in the blood filtered by the kidneys which then settles and crystallizes over time.

Understanding Kidney Stone Disease Symptoms and Treatment

In most cases, kidney stone disease is experienced by people aged 30-60 years. It is estimated that 10 percent of women and 15 percent of men have experienced this condition during their lifetime.

Deposition of stones in the kidneys can be caused by food or other underlying health problems. Based on its type, kidney stones are divided into four, namely calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvit stones, and cystine stones.

Symptoms of kidney stones

Symptoms of kidney stones usually will not be felt by the sufferer if kidney stones are so small that it can get out of the body naturally through the ureter easily. Ureter is a channel that connects the kidney with the bladder.

Symptoms of a new kidney stone can be felt if the stone is larger than the diameter of the ureter tract. Large stones will rub against the lining of the ureter wall causing irritation and even injury. Therefore, urine can sometimes contain blood. In addition to irritating the ureter, kidney stones can also be caught in the ureter or urethra (end of urinary drain) so that accumulation of bacteria and can cause swelling due to infection. Symptoms of kidney stones that can arise when the stone rubs against the ureter include pain in the waist, lower abdomen or side, and groin that can be accompanied by nausea.

While the symptoms that can be felt if people with kidney stones have kidney infections in which urine looks cloudy and smells unpleasant, body limp, chills, and high fever.

Diagnosis of kidney stones

In diagnosing kidney stones, usually first the doctor will ask the patient about the symptoms that have been experienced. Doctors may also ask whether the patient has had previous kidney stones, has a family history of the same disease, or whether patients often consume food or supplements that can trigger kidney stones.

After the information is collected, the doctor will usually perform a number of tests to strengthen the evidence. These tests may include urine examination, blood tests, and scans (eg ultrasound, X-ray, CT scan, and intravenous urogram / IVU)

Treatment of kidney stones

Treatment of kidney stone disease performed depends on the size of the stone. If kidney stones are still relatively small or medium, and can still pass through the urinary tract without surgery, doctors will usually advise patients to drink only water according to the recommended dosage. With continuous fluid flow, it is expected that kidney stones can be pushed out by itself. If the symptoms are felt by the patient is quite disturbing, usually doctors simply prescribe painkillers, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Handling of kidney stones with special procedures (eg laser energy, ultrasound, or surgery) will usually be applied only if the stone is larger enough to clog the patient's urinary tract.

Prevention of kidney stones

How to prevent kidney stones is actually quite simple. You only need to drink enough water every day and limit the consumption of foods, drinks, or supplements that contain substances that potentially lead to the formation of kidney stones, such as oxalic substances, calcium supplements, and animal protein.

In addition to drinking enough water and limit the intake of certain substances, the prevention of kidney stones can also be done by taking drugs prescribed by the doctor. Usually this step is recommended to prevent relapse for those who previously had suffered from kidney stones.

Share this post