Kidney Stones
#79
Kidney stones are crystals formed from substances (minerals, acids, salts) that weren’t filtered out by the kidneys and built up over time. Kidney stones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball, and if they are not passed out of the body, they can continue to grow in size. Small kidney stones can pass through the urinary tract easily, while larger stones may get stuck in the ureter and block urine or cause bleeding.
Kidney stones are relatively common, as they affect around 1 in 10 people.
Symptoms
sharp pain in the back, lower abdomen, or groin
bloody urine
pain/burning when urinating
cloudy or foul-smelling urine
constantly needing to urinate
nausea and vomiting
Types of Kidney Stones
Calcium stones:
most common type of kidney stone
includes calcium oxalate stones and calcium phosphate stones
form when the kidneys don’t flush out the body’s excess calcium
Uric acid stones:
form when there is too much uric acid in urine
often caused by high-animal protein diets (meat, shellfish, fish)
Struvite stones:
commonly caused by bacterial infections (e.g., UTIs)
may grow to a large size rapidly
Cystine stones:
caused by a rare disorder called cystinuria
rarest type of kidney stone
Treatment
Smaller stones can usually be passed out of the body through urination, while larger stones may require medications or procedures to break up or remove the stone.
Most kidney stones (~80%) pass on their own within a few weeks.
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