About 1 in 10 human will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives, according to the National Kidney Foundation, with stones happening about twice as often in men.
Kidney stones have become more general during the past couple of decades. That raise could be due to the concurrent rise in obesity, which is a potency risk factor for kidney stones.
Kidney stones form when minerals and salts in your blood develop hard concretions inside your kidneys. Generally, your kidneys filter out these materials, but when concentrations are high, or when the kidneys are overworked, or aren’t working normally, the substances can collect and “clump” together, forming sharp crystals. Very small stones may be excreted on their own when you urinate. But sometimes, the crystals get stuck, and that’s typically when most signs and symptoms starting.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, 1 in 10 human will have a kidney stone over the journey of their lifetime, and if you’ve had a kidney stone, you understand the pain can be unforgettably excruciating.
Kidney stones (renal lithiasis, nephrolithiasis) are aggregation of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys, and can travel during the urinary tract, becoming lodged, and causing inflammation or complications. Kidney stones have various in size, and can even get as large as several inches wide.
Preventing kidney stones includes lifestyle changes. Drinking water and staying hydrated is the main key when attemp to forestall stones from forming. When your body is dehydrated, the urine becomes more concentrated with minerals. The higher the concentration, the higher the risk of creating kidney stones. Selecting a low sodium diet can also help prevent kidney stones.
Not all kidney stones cause pain. Some don’t present any signs and symptoms whatsoever. But when signs do appear, they are clear symptoms that something’s off, and that you need to see a specialist:
1. Nausea and Vomiting
Kidney stones can make you feel sick to your stomach. But not like what you’re used to from a stomach flu or food poisoning. The pain can be so excruciating that it makes you nauseous, or even makes you vomit. If the pain radiates from your right side, these symptoms may make you think your appendix is ruptured, even more reason to get checked.
2. Blood in the Urine
Seeing your pee pink or red is worrying. But actually it only takes a little blood to change the color or urine. Some medications and red foods such as beets and rhubarb can have this effect, but you should have them checked no matter what. Blood in the urine can come from kidney stones or many other problems — some serious ones such as kidney, bladder or prostate cancer.
3. Cloudy or Foul-Smelling Pee
Urine can also change in other ways. Kidney stones are born from the crystallization of minerals concentrated in your urine. Concentrated urine is darker, cloudier, and smellier — similar to when you are dehydrated. A strong odor is often compared to ammonia, but it’s more likely that the odor comes from a urinary tract infection rather than a kidney stone.
4. Problems with Flow
Obstruction by kidney stones doesn’t just cause pain. This can create various urinary problems. As the stone moves further down the urinary tract closer to the bladder, you may feel more urgency to go more often and have pain when urinating. Kidney stones can even be on both sides at once and stop the flow of urine altogether, which, although rare, is a medical emergency.
5. Fever and Chills
Some people complain of flu-like symptoms when they have kidney stones. And that’s a bigger problem than a simple rock. If you have a fever, chills or chills, you may also have a kidney or urinary tract infection. You should get immediate medical attention.
Larger kidney stones usually cause significant symptoms immediately. With smaller stones, the symptoms can be less obvious and more difficult to distinguish. If you have kidney stones, getting immediate medical care is very important to prevent complications.
