Kidney stones, medically termed nephrolithiasis/ renal calculi, are very common in young adults, adults, and seniors. These are the solid deposits made of minerals and acid salts. The passing of these stones through your urinary tract is typically painful. The intensity of the symptom becomes relevant when the stone starts to move or becomes large.
Various factors can contribute to the growth of kidney stones. Your lifestyle can save your health or double your chance of getting this health condition. In addition, if you have a family history of kidney stones, be mindful of your way of living. See your urologist doctor in Kolkata and protect your urinary health against complications.
Going Through Sharp Pain In Your Back?
Warning signs of kidney stones
As stones begin to expand in size and move, you may develop the following discomforts:
- Pain in your lower back
- Sharp pain on the side of your body
- Pain below your ribs
- Painful urination
- A burning sensation while urinating
- Blood in the urine makes it bright red or pink
- Nausea, vomiting with the pain
- An urge to pe more often
- Pain comes with fever/chills
- Cloudy urine
- Problem to start urine
- Foul-smelling urine
Symptoms of kidney stones in children
- Intense pain
- An inability to urine
- Cloudy urine
- Pain accompanied by fever, chill, nausea, vomiting, or weakness
Visit a paediatrician at the earliest to heal the discomforts your child has developed. Under medical supervision, expect to receive an optimal recovery.
When to visit a urologist doctor?
Be sure to reach your urologist doctor when you experience:
- Mild to moderate to extreme pain in your lower abdomen, side of the body, lower back.
- Pain with nausea, fever, or vomiting
- A sense of burning feeling during urination
- Being unable to begin urine
- Urine that appears red, brown/pink
Early medical care relieves your urological discomforts more promisingly. You must know that the more you delay, the higher your problem will become. In severe cases, patients might need emergency support.
Types of kidney stones/renal calculi
Four main types of kidney stones include:
Calcium Stones
The most common form of kidney stones is calcium oxalate stones. Dehydration, consumption of too much oxalate-rich foods, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease can increase the chance of calcium oxalate stones.
Uric Acid Stones
Another type of kidney stone - uric acid stones – results from having excessive uric acid in your body. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, a diet high in protein, salt, sugar, metabolic syndrome, family history may put you at risk of uric acid stones.
Cystine Stones
A build-up of an amino acid called cystine in the kidney forms cystine kidney stones. This growth happens in people with cystinuria, a hereditary condition. blood in urine, severe pain, urinary tract infection are some of the common signs of cystine stones.
Struvite Stones
Struvite kidney stones occur when your urine turns more alkaline; made up of magnesium ammonium phosphate. Symptoms of this type of kidney stone are typical. Reach out to your specialist if you undergo - severe/sharp pain below your ribs, in your back/side, urinary tract infections, burning sensation while urinating, pain with fever, chills, frequent urination, bloody urine.
Knowing the risk factors for kidney stones
A number of factors increase your possibility of kidney stones:
- You’re more likely to have this health concern when you have a family history of it.
- A diet high in protein, salt, sugar accelerates the formation of kidney stones with time.
- Drinking an adequate amount of fluid/water is a prominent risk factor for kidney stones.
- Large waist size, high BMI (body mass index), is associated with the risk of kidney stones.
- Calcium-based antacids, dietary supplements, laxatives can be responsible for this development.
- Chronic diarrhea, IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), ongoing urinary tract infection, hyperparathyroidism may lead to kidney stones.
Do kidney stones affect male fertility?
Kidney stones are not a contributing factor for male infertility. Such stones neither affect the sperm quality nor influence the sperm quantity in semen. However, both these conditions can co-exist.
For male fertility issues, consulting an andrologist can be of great assistance. But you can consider a urologist as well. Fast medical support is vital to your healing.
Heal Kidney Stones With Your Doctor’s Supervision
What to expect from medical care for kidney stones?
The first step of diagnosis revolves around – a physical examination, examining your symptoms, reviewing medical history. Next, your urologist may recommend a few tests – blood tests, urine tests, an X-ray, MRI, CT scan. All these tests/diagnostic procedures allow a urologist to give you a suitable treatment. Connect with the best urologist and andrologist in Kolkata.
Medical care is given to you by your doctor according to the severity of the condition. To treat mild symptoms of renal calculi, your doctor might suggest proper water consumption, pain relievers, meds for nausea, vomiting, or other medications. Treatment for large stones may involve surgery in combination with medications. Stick to a healthy lifestyle to improve your urinary health as advised by your urologist.