What Causes Kidney Stones? The Real Reason Behind It

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Many of us have heard about kidney stones or have experienced it. By just hearing about it from those who have experienced the pain of kidney stones in life, we can imagine that they are capable of giving us a hard time.

Let’s see What Causes Kidney Stones and See Some other Things as Well

When certain wastes come together in our body and accumulate nearby the kidney, it is called kidney stones. Also, it comes in between the urinary tract and it hurts when you pass the urine. 

Also, there are different sizes of kidney stones. Some have a large one and some have small ones. The pain caused due to  kidney stones is also known as renal colic.  

Kidney stones are a short term disease. It generally stays for a week or sometimes more as per the size of it. 

There are Four Types of Kidney Stones

1. ​Uric Acid 
2. Struvite 
3. Calcium Stones
4. Cystine 

you will find detailed information about them in this article. 

Men have higher chances of getting kidney stones. And the age group it targets are 20-50 year. Many factors can take the form of kidney stones. In this, you will get to know the real reason, causes and some cure for it. 

Let us start with the root first

What is the Reason Behind Kidney Stones

There are many reasons for it, below you will be going to see them.

1. ​Inheritance
2. ​if you have it before
3. ​Consuming more sodium and sugar 
4. Less water consumption 
5. Overweight 
6. Taking calcium-based antacid
7. Gastric bypass surgery 
8. Already having any kidney disease 

Let me describe more of the causes. 

Inheritance, here I refer to as if someone from your family has already kidney stones. So you get it from there. Due to genes. 

If you have gone through the kidney stones before and got cured but it comes up once again to you. This also can be a cause. 

If you eat things that are high in sugar or sodium then it can be harmful as well.

If you have more weight then the normal limit. Due to being overweight, you can get high blood pressure and diabetes. These are the two things that can be also responsible for kidney stones. 

If you don’t drink water of a certain amount, then your body will be dehydrated.

Also if your body doesn’t have fluid, then waste will be more and due to that, there are higher chances of waste segregation in your body. If you are not drinking much water then do start. 

If you have already suffered from any type of disease related to kidney then also you have a higher chance to get kidney stones. 

If you are taking medications then chances of calcium accumulation in your body are higher, which may cause kidney stones. 

Gastric bypass surgery, if you have gone through this type of surgery then also it can cause kidney stones. 

There are also some more medical things which can be there. Like irritation in joints or swelling. 

Now let’s get into its type.

What are the Types of Kidney Stones?

1. Uric Acid 

This occurs when your urine is having more acid in it. If someone is going through chemotherapy treatment then also can have this. 

This typically occurs more in males.

2. Struvite

It is developed when there is an infection in the urinary tract. This is more seen in women.

3. Calcium Stones

This is the most common type found in kidney stones. This can be seen in both men and women as well. 

If you eat food that has more oxalic acid then there is a very much higher chance to get kidney stones.

4. Cystine 

This comes in Inheritance from your parents. This is one of the rarest in all types. It is seen in both men and women. 

This acid naturally occurs in the body and leaks in the kidney and it goes to the urinary tract.

What are the Signs of Kidney Stones

There are some signs or symptoms which can be found when you are going to have kidney stones or having it. But you are not aware of it. Let us see here itself about what they are and check it out.

1. ​Pain while passing urine
2. Blood comes in urine
3. Pain in the body at some parts
4. Vomiting or Nausea 

In the above points, some are pretty much self-explanatory still let us look in more depth about it.

As we have seen above, when you have kidney stones it gets stuck in the urinary tract and tries to block the passage while urinating. So when you go to pass urine you will be going through pain. If the kidney stone is big you will be going to have severe pain at that time.

One of the symptoms of kidney stones is blood will come with the urine. It will be seen by the patient and it should be cured.

When you are going to have kidney stones or having it, you will be going to body pain in some parts. Specifically at the lower back.

Kidney stones are known for their pain. 

There ar different types of pain. Some pain will be severe while some will be sharp or can be a sudden pain in the abdomen. The pain will be different according to the size of the kidney stone or according to your situation. 

When you are having kidney stones you will vomit at several intervals. You can easily see the difference between normal vomit and vomit occurs during kidney stones. 

Nausea in simple words is called an urge to vomit. This happens with all patients of kidney stones. 

So this was all the symptoms of kidney stones. Yet more of the symptoms are like you want to urinate more frequently than normal. Also, you do short urine. 

One of the symptoms of kidney stones is a fever. You will be going to see fever coming more often or can say regularly. 

So this was it for the symptoms. Now let’s move to the other points and information to see. 

Treatment for Kidney Stones 

Kidney stones are a short term disease. It can be cured with the help of medical treatment. When you feel any type of symptoms from above you should go to the doctor and get a checkup. As soon as you get the report and find it, doctors will talk about the treatment.

First of all, the doctor will ask you to go for a CT scan, x-ray, blood test or urine test. While CT scan contrast dye is also used sometimes. 

If you are facing a problem with contrast dye then you have to inform the doctor about it. So that a proper way should be implemented. 

With the help of this test, the doctor will be able to see if the kidney stones are big or small. According to its size, it will be treated. 

In case of Minor Kidney Stones

If a kidney stone is of small size then the doctor will give medicine which can easily remove the kidney stone with urine. You will be advised to take the painkillers and to drink a lot of water. The small size of kidney stones will not require a big treatment or something, with normal care it will be solved. Drinking a lot of water will help more.

If the kidney stone is big in size

If the stone is large, then it needs to be broken first and then needs to be removed. There are several ways for it. Let’s see them. 

First is shock wave lithotripsy. As the name says, shock waves are used to break the kidney stone and then it will be passed with your urine. This treatment is given with regular anaesthesia so that it won’t give you much pain at the time of treatment. It is an hour-long treatment. 

The second is ureteroscopy. A long tube-like object is used by the doctor. With the help of it, they find the kidney stones and then remove it or break it. 

If the stones become small and removable then the doctor will easily do that. 

Treatment for Kidney Stones

If it doesn’t work then the laser will be used to break the kidney stones. And then it will be passed through your urinary tract. Normal anaesthesia is also required while doing the above things. 

If none of the above cases works then doctors go for the surgery, Which is called percutaneous nephrolithotomy. 

During this treatment, you need to be admitted to the hospital for three to four days for the total recovery and proper cure. 

So this was all the treatments you can go for. If you are having kidney stones then you should visit the doctor and make it clear as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will be going to face pain. Now let us talk some more about how you can prevent kidney stones. 

Also after the treatment take the antibiotics that are given by the doctor. In these cases, there was a point that if you have a kidney stone before then also you can have it again. So if you complete the course of antibiotics given by the doctor there are little fewer chances of getting it in big size. The small size of kidney stones may occur or may not. 

But the completion, of course, is necessary to get fit and fine. 

What to do When Kidney Stone Pain Starts?

There are some of the things you can do or apply when kidney stone pain starts. 

First, you can take painkillers or other medicines which can give you relief for a short time. For a long time, you have to go to the doctor in the hospital for the treatment and the test which will be performed by them. 

For fever, you can take medications if you have any or have taken before and known. 

For body pain, you can apply heat with warm water or a warm pad on the abdomen or the backside. So that you won’t feel much pain due to heat. 

Consume as much liquid as you can. If a kidney stone is small it will go out with the urine. Otherwise, you have to go for treatment. Also, do not consume soft drinks or drinks which contain caffeine. Do avoid it till kidney stones are removed and cured. 

This is the way you should do when the pain of kidney stones starts. With the help of these ways, you can get short term relief. However, if a kidney stone is of small size then it can also get removed with the help of liquid consumption. Now let us see some points which can be used in daily life to prevent kidney stone disease.

Ways to Prevent Kidney Stone 

One of the most used and successful ways is to drink more water every day. Many recommend you should take at least 8 to 10 cups of water every day. You can take other liquid as well. But water is most suggested among all.

Another way is to limit the consumption of sodium, meats, and eggs. If you take things in the perfect and required quantity then you will be totally good and can prevent kidney stones. 

Also, go to the doctor if you are facing any problems because the doctor will properly guide you.

In case you are facing any issues or symptoms, just rush to the doctor so that you can get the treatment as soon as possible.

Be aware of what is happening with your body. Your minor laziness can be harmful to you as well as to your family or the upcoming family. There was a point that if someone from your family already had that then it can come to you an inheritance. So regularly check the body. Drink water every day and maintain a proper diet to stay healthy and safe from kidney stones 

I hope this article is full of information for you to read. This was it for this. Just be happy. Enjoy!

Suffering from Kidney Stones? Stop avoiding these foods that cause ’em!