What are Kidney Stones?
A kidney stone is a hard mass of crystals that can form in any part of your urinary tract, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra. If urine become too acidic or basic, particles that urine is composed of can clump together to form this crystal. This crystal will grow over time a form a detectable blockage that must be removed for normal urine flow to resume. Sometime crystals are caused by bacterial infection. Kidney stones can be painful to pass, but do not cause any dangerous problems. Mostly, stones can be treated by changing your diet and drinking plenty of water to dilute the particles in your urine that tend to crystalize.
The most common symptoms of kidney stones are stomach aches, blood in the urine, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, bad smelling/cloudy/discolored urine, pain/burning sensation while urinating, sharp pain in the lower back, or abdominal pain that varies in intensity.
Some factors that increase your risk for developing kidney stones are:
- Family/personal history of devloping stones
- Being a Caucasian male
- Dehydration
- Certain diets (too high in salt, protein, calcium, and/or sugar)
- Obesity
- Inactive lifestyle or prolonged bedrest
- Digestive diseases
- Metabolic diseases
- Surgery
- Certain supplements/medications (dietary supplements, laxatives, vitamin C, antacids, migraine or depression medications)
How to Prevent Kidney Stones
- Drink more water
- Reduce your intake of the following:
- salt
- oxalate
- calcium
- caffeine
Schedule an appointment today with one of our healthcare providers at ASUI to discuss treatment options that work the best for you!