KIDNEY STONES
Renal stones, renal calculi, kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis are now becoming quite common problems in both developed and developing countries as well. In some conditions, these stones do not cause any problems but in some cases, they can lead to serious kidney problems.
Renal stone as the name suggests is a formation of hard stone-like substance mostly in the upper part of the urinary system however stones in the lower urinary tract occur too.
ANATOMY OF URINARY SYSTEM
The urinary system can be divided into two parts:-
1) The upper urinary system which consists of kidneys and ureters.
2) The lower urinary system which consists of the bladder and urethra.
RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING KIDNEY STONES:
1) Age: Middle age group people are at high risk for stone formation however it’s not uncommon for stone formation in other age groups.
2) Obesity: People with increasing body weight have a high chance of stone formation. It can be linked to less physical activity and an increased amount of fatty food which can lead to atherosclerosis, and hypertension which can change the blood flow to the kidney, this can change the GFR of the kidney and may lead to changes in the amount of urine formation and kidney stone formation.
3) High salt diet: If a person increases the salt intake then it leads to increased excretion of sodium and water and with it, even calcium is excreted and with loss of calcium there are more chances of stone formation.
4) High protein diet: A diet rich in protein especially animal protein which means people who consume more meat and fewer vegetables are at increased risk of developing renal stones. Increased calcium secretion occurs in people whose diet is more dependent on animal protein. Calcium is found to have properties that prevent stone formation.
5) High oxalate diet: oxalate is found in plants and vegetables. Spinach, fried potatoes, chocolates, and nuts are some of the foods which are rich in oxalate and can lead to oxalate stones in the kidney.
6) Hot weather: people who live in hot weather countries or are working in hot conditions have more chances to develop renal stones as people can get dehydrated if they don’t drink water to prevent dehydration then urine volume will reduce and it can start deposition of solute in kidney and can lead to urinary stone.
7) Reduced water intake: some people have the tendency to drink less water than what is required and it can lead to stone formation as solute increases and the solvent (water) decreases.
8) Diseases: people suffering from diseases like hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, Crohn’s disease, hyperparathyroidism, and urinary tract infection are at increased risk of renal stone formation.
9) Vitamin: Vitamin C is found to have increased the chances of renal stone formation. Oranges, lemon, tomato, and capsicum are some of the foods and fruits that are a rich source of vitamin C and these should be avoided in people who are suffering or had suffered before with renal stones.
10) Urine pH: The pH balance of urine is very important. if pH is less or more than normal then chances of stone formation become more. (AVERAGE NORMAL pH OF URINE IS 6.0).
11) Medicine: medicines like diuretics, glucocorticoids, and vitamin C increases the chances of renal stone formation.
TYPES OF RENAL STONES :
1) CALCIUM OXALATE
2) CALCIUM PHOSPHATE
3) URIC ACID STONE
4) MAGNESIUM AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE
5) CYSTINE
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF KIDNEY STONES :
1) Pain: Mostly it is seen that people with the renal stone of small size don’t experience much pain and increases in the intensity of pain are seen if the size of the stone is more or if the stone moves from its position.
when the stone moves from the kidney to the ureter then pain occurs. If the stone reaches the lower part of the ureter then the pain will be in the testicle for men and labia for females.
2) Fever: Stone can cause an obstruction in urine flow and this can lead to accumulation of urine which can increase the chances of infection in urine and can lead to fever.
3) Vomiting: People with renal stones sometimes complain of vomiting or a feeling of vomit (nausea).
4) Hematuria ( Blood in urine ): Sometimes movement of stones can damage the surrounding cells and tissue which can lead to bleeding and that blood in the urine causes hematuria.
5) Low urine output: If stones grow in size then urine passage will get more obstructed which can lead to more accumulation of urine in the bladder and it leads to less passage of urine through urination.
DIAGNOSIS :
1) Blood investigations like diabetes, and parathyroid hormone levels should be checked if these diseases are suspected for renal stones.
2) Serum urea, serum creatinine, and BUN ( blood urea and nitrogen ) can be done to check kidney function.
3) Urine routine to check for urinary calcium, urinary oxalate, and uric acid excretion should be done.
4) Urine pH should be checked.
5) A urine dipstick test is also done to check blood and glucose present in urine.
6) Urine culture to check for any urine infection.
7) X-RAY:- x-ray KUB ( KIDNEY URETER AND BLADDER ) can be done.
8) Ultrasound of KUB:- it is also helpful in the localization of stone and also helps to check if there is any backflow of urine because of obstruction caused by the renal stone.
9) Serum calcium level should be checked too.
10) CT – KUB is expensive but is considered as the best technique for the diagnosis of renal stone.
PREVENTION OF RENAL STONES:
1) It’s important to keep yourself hydrated by drinking water and if living or working in a hot and humid environment then it’s necessary to drink water.
2) Minimize the high oxalate content food such as spinach, chocolate, nuts, and fried food.
3) Reduce the consumption of oranges, lime, tomatoes, and capsicum if suffering from renal stones.
4) Reduce salt and sugar intake as they can increase the chances of stone formation.
5) People with a high intake of animal protein are at increased risk of stone formation so it’s better to include more vegetables and less animal protein in the diet.
6) If weight is more then it’s important to follow a good diet and exercise plan to reduce the weight.
7) If suffering from diseases like hypertension, diabetes, hyperparathyroidism, or urinary tract infection then it’s important to take medical advice and take medicines as prescribed to keep these under control as these diseases can aggravate the renal stone problems.
8) If suffering from renal stones then you must inform your doctor if you visit the doctor about any other problems so that doctors can avoid prescribing or reduce the dose of medicine which can aggravate the stone problem.
9) If suffering from a high uric acid problem then it is important to consult the doctor and take medicine to keep the uric acid level under control so that the uric acid stone doesn’t develop.
10) Calcium and potassium are found to have properties that can decrease the chances of stone formation. So bananas and vegetables can be included in the diet.
TREATMENT FOR RENAL STONES :
1) Mostly renal stones pass off if they are in small size by drinking water.
2) In cases of pain, patients are given appropriate pain medications.
3) If an infection is suspected then proper antibiotic treatment is given.
4) If a person is suffering from diabetes, hypertension, hyperparathyroidism, or any renal disease then proper investigation and treatment should be given to the patient to prevent any renal complication.
5) LITHOTRIPSY: it is a procedure in which shock waves are used to break the stones which are bigger in size and cannot pass by drinking extra water.
Take home message: keep yourself hydrated, lose extra weight, and avoid stone-forming foods and drinks.
SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW ME FOR MORE MEDICAL AND FITNESS-RELATED INFORMATION.
Best merit casino sites and sites to play with Bitcoin and
Best merit casino sites and sites great air jordan 5 retro to play with Bitcoin and Ethereum. 5 steps1.For all BTC casino players, you can start playing with bitcoin and other Air Jordan 13 Retro cryptocurrency.2.For all BTC casino players, you can start playing with bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.3.If you want to start playing 더킹카지노 주소 with cryptocurrencies, you can 메리트 카지노 start playing with the Bitcoin casino by visiting the website or by downloading 슬롯 the software.