Calcium stones are the most common type of kidney stone. They are formed from the calcium oxalate found in different foods but also can use the calcium oxalate from your liver secretions.
There are also struvite stones, which are typically caused by an infection; uric acid stones, the product of not watching your fluid levels and developing the condition known as gout; and cysteine stones, which come from a hereditary disease to the kidneys that causes them to secrete excess cystinuria, an amino acid that leads to stone formation.
Finally, there are phosphate stones, which occur when phosphorus levels are too high and congeal in stones.
There are no statistics for how many people get kidney stones. But the New York Times has reported that people are getting them earlier and earlier in their lives, with roughly 12 percent of men and 7 percent of women estimated to get the stones at some point. The Times noted that rising levels of obesity may be a leading cause of the earlier onset of kidney stones. Meat consumption is believed to lead to kidney stone formation.
Symptoms of Kidney Stones
Most kidney stones arrive without warning but quickly make their presence known. That’s because they typically form in very tender and crucial areas of the body, moving around in the kidney and potentially passing into the ureter, a tube that connects the kidney and bladder.
The result of stone formation is typically severe. Patients report increasing pain in various areas, including their sides and lower backs, the groin and in the lower abdomen.
Some patients also may experience pain when urinating (and urine that can display as red, brown or pink), and urine that is foul-smelling and cloudy. When the stone starts affecting urine, it also can start causing other severe symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. You may also wind up urinating too much or too often and have a persistent urge to urinate.
As the stone moves through the urinary tract, the pain may shift to different areas of the body. That usually results in agony for the patient, to the point where even sitting still doesn’t abate the pain.
Are you a candidate?
There is no one “typical” kidney stone patient, as the stones tend to form in combination with such factors as lifestyle and diet combined with genetic and hereditary issues. You likely are a prime target for stones if you have a family history of the problem. That’s because your genetic heritage has made your body a likely uric acid haven.
Obesity is another factor in the potential for kidney stone development. A diet rich in meat and other purine-inducing foods can lead to uric acid excess, which can cause gout or stone formation. Drinking more water helps the body wash out the impurities that may be caused by your diet, thus decreasing the opportunities for stones to form.
Another factor to consider is if you’ve had gastric bypass surgery, have inflammatory bowel disease or suffer from chronic diarrhea. All of these may change your digestive system and cause problems that affect your water absorption, which can lead to excess acid and kidney stone formation. Medications can change body chemistry and eventually cause problems for delicate systems.
Finally, such diseases as hyperparathyroidism, cystinuria, renal tubular acidosis and urinary tract infections can rob the body of vital regulatory hormones and bacteria that may lead to stone formation.
What can doctors do?
The treatments available for kidney stone sufferers depend on the patient’s history and condition. As with any problem, the goal is to remove the cause of the condition rapidly and effectively, ease the pain, and set standards that will help prevent the problem going forward.
If you have a small stone, and you’re not in agony, watchful waiting is typically the plan. You will be advised to rest and drink a lot of water (as many as two to three liters per day) to help flush the stone from your system. You will know that you’re ingesting enough when urine is clear.
Your doctor may prescribe pain relievers to help ease discomfort while the stone works its way out of your system. Such over-the-counter medications as naproxen sodium (commercially known as Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are effective in helping with pain.
Some doctors also prescribe an alpha blocker, a medication that can relax muscles in the ureter. That will help you more easily pass the stone.
Big Stones, Big Problems
Large stones present a different problem. These can be so big that they can cause massive internal problems, including bleeding, ongoing urinary tract infections and kidney damage. They’re usually too large to pass.
One popular, non-invasive method that works on some stones of a certain size and location is using sound waves to break them up. This is known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).
The ESWL treatment will create strong vibrations that will break up the large stones into small pieces that can be more easily passed. It’s not without its own pain and typically can last up to an hour, so you may have to undergo sedation or twilight anesthesia during the procedure. After the treatment, you may experience bloody urine, bruising in the area of treatment, kidney bleeding and pain from the stones passing through your system.
Very large stones can only be taken out via surgery. The procedure is called percutaneous nephrolithotomy and uses small instruments and telescopes through your back to remove the stones. This is a general anesthesia procedure and sometimes occurs after ESWL is unsuccessful in getting the stones out of your system.
Another surgical procedure that may be used is scoping. A thin tube with a camera is inserted through your urethra and bladder. Using a camera and special tools, the stone is either shattered or snared and removed. You also may receive a stent to promote healing in the affected area. This is definitely a general anesthesia procedure.
Another possibility is surgery to remove one or more of your parathyroid glands. These are tiny glands located near your thyroid. When a tumor is present, they can emit too much of a hormone that causes excess calcium to build, leading to kidney stone formation.
As with any health issue, your best bet is to be proactive and take steps to combat the formation of kidney stones. Watch your diet and drink plenty of fluids, and you should be able to help your body battle the excesses that may lead to kidney stone formation.