| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
The Kidney Stone Page |
| |
KIDNEY STONES 101
|
The good news is...
it probably won't kill you.
|
|
The bad news is... you might wish that it would.
|
The following section is a general introduction
to kidney stones.
What Are Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are an age-old medical problem. Some kidneys just make stones, and medical science doesn't
have all the answers about exactly why they do. We do know that there are certain conditions and chemical
imbalances that contribute to the creation of stones, but we really don't know how to stop them completely.
In fact, new research is making us rethink everything we thought we knew about them.
Click here to read some exciting new developments in kidney stone research.
Kidney stones really do hurt. But stones are usually not life-threatening. Today's medical practice is
extremely adept at removing most of the risk of passing a stone. Stones can be blasted into small pieces by
sonic waves focused on the kidney. Stones in the ureter can be removed by snaking a medical instrument up
through the bladder and literally grabbing the stone, or it can even be broken up there. They can be removed
through an incision in the back with relatively minor surgery called a "basket" or they can be removed directly
from the kidney or ureter or in serious cases, by major but fairly common surgical procedures.
 The body creates kidney stones from of a wide array of
substances. It is particularly critical to know exactly
which kind of stone you produce, in order to consider drug treatment or natural therapy of any kind.
For example, dietary changes may serve to slow growth of certain stones, but they could conceivably
accelerate growth of other types of stones. Naturally, you should always take a stone to your doctor when you
pass one (Retreive it if you can!), but if you are the independent type, or just plain impatient, we have
located a laboratory which will analyze your stone for you by mail.
The medical term for kidney stones is nephrolithiasis, urolithiasis, or
renal calculi, which means that
abnormal, hard, chemical deposits have formed inside the kidney. Kidney stones may form for a number of
reasons:
- high levels of calcium, cholesterol, uric acid, or other salts in the blood, which don’t pass out of the
body normally;
- chronic dehydration;
- some conditions that cause a reduction in urine flow;
- local infection; and
- a genetic predisposition.
A kidney stone can cause two problems:
[1] when it moves, or
[2] when it grows so large that it begins to disrupt kidney function and damage occurs.
You usually find out you have a stone because it hurts, but it usually only hurts when it starts to move.
Most people have no warning at all when they have their first kidney stone attack. A stone may quietly grow
for years, and then one day it may start to move downward drawn by urine flow and gravity, perhaps eventually
out of the kidney and down into the ureter, where it really hurts. When that kidney stone makes its run for
freedom, it makes grown men scream, women swear and NFL linebackers thrash on the ground like a babe. Severe
pain from a kidney stone approaches the threshold of human endurance.
As the stone moves through the kidney, it may cause severe pain in the back
or side, with or without nausea and vomiting, and blood in the urine (urine may look pink or orange).
If the pain shifts downward, closer to the groin, the stone has probably traveled downward in the ureter,
closer to the bladder. As the stone approaches the bladder, you may feel an increased urge to urinate and/or
a burning sensation when you do.
When a kidney stone is trapped in the ureter, it may pass on its own, or it could remain there until your doctor
removes it. Passing a stone can take hours, days, or weeks. Larger stones can remain trapped in the ureter,
significantly obstructing the flow of urine, and eventually causing infection.
If a stone can pass through the ureter, it will eventually enter the bladder. There is a specific sharp pain
caused by the passage of the stone through the small valve which opens into the bladder. This pain can be
extreme, even with smaller stones, but it is usually very short in duration. As the stone presses through
into the bladder, there may be a series of sharp stabs over several minutes until it bursts free. Fortunately,
once in the bladder, most stones cause very little pain, and usually pass in a stream of urine after a few
hours or after a night's sleep. Surprisingly enough there is usually no pain involved when the stone passes
through the ureter of a male.
Statistics
About 7 to 21 people out of every 10,000 (or less than two tenths of one percent) of the population will have a
kidney stone attack each year. At the present rate of population (274,231,937 in the US), that means about
five and a half million new cases of kidney stones each year. Men get stones more than women. Whites get
them more than blacks or hispanics. Children can get them, but they usually don't.
Calcium Oxalate:
The most common kidney stone is the calcium oxalate stone. When the body’s calcium—an abundant mineral throughout
your system—and a compound called oxalate combine in the kidneys, they form an insoluble salt that can easily
turn into a stone. Oxalate is a byproduct of our normal metabolism and is also found in many common foods,
including chocolate, spinach, and similar foods. When calcium oxalate forms into a stone, it is usually very
hard and, according to medical science, it cannot be dissolved. It must be passed or broken up by lithotripsy
and then passed. Some ninety percent of all kidney stones are calcium oxalate stones.
Calcium Phosphate:
Calcium phosphate stones are less common. Both calcium and phosphate are very abundant in our bodies, and
calcium phosphate crystals stiffen our bones and make them rigid. Your body eliminates large amounts of
phosphate through your urine every day, but if you suffer from a condition that increases calcium output
in the urine, and makes the urine more alkaline, the calcium combines with the abundant phosphate in the
urine and can produce stones. Most calcium oxalate stones have a certain amount of calcium phosphate material
in them. However, if a kidney stone is made up of more than fifty percent calcium phosphate, you will be
treated specially for that type of stone.
Uric Acid:
Uric acid stones are much less common than calcium oxalate stones. Sometimes they are made up of pure uric
acid, and sometimes they form as a mixture of uric acid with calcium oxalate. Your body makes uric acid
when it breaks down RNA and DNA as a normal body function. Uric acid can crystallize into stones when the
urine is persistently acid. If the urine can be made to be less acid—sometimes with dietary changes, including
medication—uric acid stones can dissolve. People get acid urine
from heredity, a disposition to gout, renal
disease, intestinal disease, and overuse of certain foods, including meat.
Years ago, uric acid stones were described as containing "brick dust" due to their orange composition
Struvite:
Struvite stones are made up of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate. They always result from infection. During a
urinary infection, certain bacteria can break down urea, which is a component of urine, into ammonia. This makes
the urine surrounding the bacteria extremely alkaline, so that the magnesium and phosphorus normally present in
the urine form crystals with the ammonia. The resulting stone can be large, painful, and potentially dangerous.
Struvite stones grow much more rapidly than the other types, sometimes getting so big they can fill the entire
kidney system.
Cystine:
This type of stone is much less common. It is made up of the amino acid, cystine, and occurs only with patients
suffering from a genetic disease called cystinuria. Your body normally contains cystine in the blood which is
filtered by the kidneys; later the cystine is recirculated back into the blood. However, cystinuria patients
cannot recycle the cystine back into the blood, but lose it in the urine, where it can make large and potentially
dangerous stones. Children who get kidney stones may get cystine stones, since the condition is hereditary.
Other Kinds of Stones:
Beyond the above categories, there is a variety of unusual kinds of stones that are much more rare.
For example, patients with bowel disease, especially if they have had large sections of their colon removed or
if they habitually use large doses of laxatives, may form stones made of the ammonium salt of uric acid—ammonium
hydrogen urate. Certain anti-viral drugs, and a diuretic called trampterine, can crystallize and form stones.
Athletes and others who abuse ephedrine can form stones made up almost entirely of
ephedrine. Certain individuals
who have inherited an enzyme deficiency that causes over-production of 2-8-hydroxyadenine can form stones made
up of that compound.
|
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
If you need medical attention, consult your health care professional.
|
 |
|
 |
|
About Us
My Account
