Know About Urinary Stones

Kidneys filter the excess of water and waste products from the blood and convert them to urine. When these waste products do not get filtered properly by kidneys, they accumulate inside the kidney and gradually form a hard mass, which is known as stone.

Stones are formed in the kidneys and these may pass to other related parts such as bladder or the urinary tract. The basic cause of stone formation is the accumulation of certain substances like calcium, oxalate or uric acid. Treatment becomes easy after knowing the composition of the stone.

There may be many other causes of urinary stones. People with family history of stones are at higher risk of developing them. Also, people who consume less fluid in diet may suffer from this condition (as the waste products then accumulate to form a stone). High intake of calcium also increases the risk of having a stone.

Some underlying medical problems may also be the cause of stone development like diabetes (cause high urine acidity), gout (causes high uric acid in the urine) and any ailment that causes urinary tract infection or does not allow the bladder to empty fully

Symptoms of urinary stones include pain during urination, hematuria (presence of blood in urine), cystitis (bladder inflammation), vomiting and involuntary urination. Pain is the most important symptom as it is so severe that a patient needs to be hospitalized at times. Pain is due to restriction of the urine flow. Depending on the location of the stone pain occurs on the sides of the body (left or right).

Diagnosis is simple and includes blood test, urine test, X-ray or even a CT scan.

Stones can be treated normally in the initial stage. Patients are advised to increase fluid intake so as to increase the urine flow. Painkillers can be taken orally to subsidize the pain.

In case of severe and intolerable pain, patient may have to be hospitalized. Surgery may be the course of treatment; in cases where the size of stones is big. Various treatments are available depending on the severity and patient choice.