| Kidney stones are one of the more painful | | | | often radiates to the groin area and is so |
| kidney diseases known. If you've ever had a | | | | painful, it is likened to the pain of |
| symptom of kidney stones, you'll never forget | | | | childbirth. When someone has such a symptom, |
| what it feels like. Both men and women can | | | | it is important to consider doing a plain |
| get kidney stones but it appears there is a | | | | X-Ray of the kidney and ureter area to see if |
| slight predominance of men. In fact, the | | | | any kind of calcified nodule can be seen. |
| typical individual with a kidney stone is a | | | | This represents the stone itself and it is |
| white male between the ages of twenty to | | | | usually found stuck in the ureter. The other |
| sixty with a positive family or personal | | | | test that is sometimes done is a dye study |
| history of stones before. About 60% of all | | | | using X-Rays. This test checks for the |
| of those with stones that have calcium in | | | | presence of a blockage in the ureters or |
| them will get a second stone within 10 years. | | | | decreased flow past the ureters. |
| | | | |
| Before an individual even develops a symptom | | | | Another symptom of kidney stones can be |
| of kidney stones, the kidneys are busy | | | | nausea, vomiting and sometimes a fever. If |
| forming those stones. The conditions that | | | | the stone causes an infection in the kidneys, |
| favor the development of kidney stones are | | | | the urinalysis can show infection cells in |
| low blood volume, low fluid intake and an | | | | the urine. Even in the absence of infection, |
| excess of a molecule that precipitates out in | | | | red blood cells will often show up in the |
| the urine. The substances that make up | | | | urine sample. |
| kidney stones are primarily calcium oxalate, | | | | |
| calcium phosphate or uric acid stones. They | | | | When someone has a symptom of kidney stones |
| pass through the kidney and end up in the | | | | and evidence of stones on X-Ray or |
| urinary side of the kidney, in an area called | | | | urinalysis, the treatment is generally |
| the renal pelvis. It is there that the | | | | supportive. The individual is given pain |
| stones precipitate out into hard stone-like | | | | medication, antibiotics and is sometimes told |
| globules. | | | | to strain their urine for the presence of the |
| | | | stone. The person also needs to drink a lot |
| One doesn't get a symptom of kidney stones | | | | of fluids to help push the stone past the |
| very often if the stone is big enough to | | | | point of the ureters and into the bladder. |
| remain inside the renal pelvis. It can get | | | | |
| caught on parts of the kidney and can just | | | | In some cases, the symptom of kidney stones |
| get bigger. In fact, one of the few symptoms | | | | is so severe that hospitalization is |
| of kidney stones that remain in the pelvis of | | | | necessary. The person may need to have the |
| the kidney is the presence of recurrent | | | | stone broken up by means of shock waves used |
| kidney or bladder infections. This is | | | | by ultrasonic machines. In rare cases, the |
| because bacteria are incorporated within the | | | | individual has a huge kidney stone that can |
| stone and the stone acts as a reservoir for | | | | only be managed by surgical removal. After |
| bacteria. | | | | treatment, the person will need to keep their |
| | | | fluid intake up and may need to take |
| The primary symptom of kidney stones is | | | | medications to reduce the further incidence |
| extreme pain in the side or flank. The pain | | | | of stones. |