Kidney Stones

What are kidney stones? They are  clusters of crystals that form from minerals and other substances in your urinary tract. Most stones pass out of your body in your pee on their own, but they can be very painful as they move through. They can be as small as a grain of sand or — rarely — larger than a golf ball. Kidney stones are also called renal calculi or nephrolithiasis. The symptoms of kidney stones include pain in your lower back, belly or side (flank pain). It might feel like it extends from your groin to your side. It can be a dull pain or sharp and severe. It’s sometimes called colicky pain because it can get worse in waves. Other symptoms comprise of nausea and vomiting, bloody pee, pain when pee, inability to look, feeling the urge to pee a lot, fever or chills, and cloudy or foul-smelling pee. Smaller kidney stones may not cause pain or other symptoms. There are 4 types of kidney stones, which are calcium-oxalate and calcium phosphate stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones, and cystine stones. Calcium-based stones can form when you eat high-oxalate or low-calcium foods and aren’t drinking enough fluids. Calcium-oxalate stones are the most common type of kidney stones. Eating animal proteins (beef, poultry, pork, eggs and fish) can cause uric acid stones to form. Bacterial infections can cause struvite stones. Repeated infections can lead to a staghorn calculus, a very large kidney stone that usually needs to be surgically removed. An inherited condition called cystinuria causes cystine stones. Cystine is a substance made of two cysteine amino acids bound together. To prevent kidney stones, medical treatments like urine test, imaging and blood tests are compulsory. Maintain a healthy lifestyle as common. Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking. Together, we as the army/soldiers fight against the enemies(kidney stones). Thank you.