Types of Kidney Stones

And their symptoms.

Kidney Overview
Kidney is a bean-shaped and fist-sized organ that filters blood, removes
drugs and excess fluids from the body that comes out in the form of
urine. There are two kidneys in a human body located at the lower side
of the rib-cage, opposite to each other. Kidneys control the production
of red blood cells and also they regulate the blood pressure levels. Major
functioning of urine is the removal of waste and extra fluid in form of
urine. The production of urine in a highly complex process that involves
critical steps of excretion and re-absorption.

Kidney Stones
These are the common urinary tract
disorders that occur when an
enormous amount of waste remain
stuck inside and the normal
substances in the urine become
very concentrated.

Types of Kidney stones

Calcium
These are the most commonly known kidney stones made up of calcium
oxalate, maleate or phosphate. Foods with fewer oxalate such as Broccoli,
cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, mushrooms, onions and carrots can reduce
the risk of developing such kidney stones.

Uric Acid
Another type of kidney stone that is common in men is the Uric acid. It
takes place in people going through chemotherapy or having gout. It
develops due to the high acidic level of urine.

 Struvite
A stone found in women having urinary tract infections. These stones can
cause urinary obstruction due to their massive sizes. The main cause of
struvite is the kidney infection.

Cystine
These are the rare type of kidney stones that occur in both genes due to
genetic disorder cystinuria. Due to this stone, a natural substance called
cystine leaks from the kidney into the urine.

Symptoms of Kidney Stones

Pain
The pain in the abdomen depends on the location of the stone. If
the stone resides in the kidney, then it often causes abdominal pain
but as it begins moving through the ureter towards bladder, the
severity of pain increases. Sometimes pain lasts for about 10
minutes and then stops. Sometimes it occurs repeatedly with a
frequency of 10 to 15 minutes.

 Fever
The continuous pain in the abdomen weakens the body and thus the
temperature of the body rises, that causes fever. During fever due to kidney
pain, nausea, and vomiting also develops that shakes the whole body.

Other Symptoms
It is highly recommended to consult a doctor if:

You feel a pain that becomes so severe that makes you unable to sit, stand and
even lay down properly.

Blood comes in your urine. This happens when the large stone scratches the walls
of the ureter.

You feel difficulty in passing urine. This is also due to the sticking of a stone in
the ureter. Ureter squeezes the stone towards the bladder and the tube remains
blocked.

Causes of kidney stones

Kidney stones are formed when the normal balance of the
water, minerals, salts and another substance is changed.
Drinking not enough water is another reason of kidney
stones. When a recommended amount of water is not
drunk, the substances stuck inside the kidney and
collectively form stones.
There are several medical conditions that affect the normal
balance of substances in the kidney. For example, gout,
bowel disease, dehydration, and obesity.

Preventing Kidney Stones

The best and easiest way of kidney stone
prevention is drinking a lot of water. This
produces more urine and helps in flushing
kidneys. However, the diet plan depends on
the type of kidney stones, but a maximum use
of water is still the best practice.
The changes in consumption of sodium,
calcium, animal protein, and oxalate vary with
the type of kidney stone.