Kidney and Kidney Related Disorders
The kidney can be a source of several disorders and can be painful for an adult and sometimes deadly. Some kidney problems can be hereditary such as Polycystic Kidney Disease and some just occur for no reason such as Kidney Stones.
One of the most painful and most common kidney disorders is kidney stone. Kidney stones may strike anyone and estimates are that about ten percent of the American population will suffer from a kidney stone during their lifetime.
A kidney stone may stay forever in the kidney or it could break loose and travel down the urinary tract. On occasion, a stone may stick in the urethra or in the bladder. If a stone is stuck in the urethra, in can block the flow of urine and be painful. It may be as tiny as a grain of sand or as large as a pearl. Rarely, a stone has been seen that is as big as a golf ball. Most are small, less than two centimeters in size. They can be jagged or smooth, and yellow or brown in color.
Kidney stones are more frequent in men, but women also develop stones too. Caucasians are more likely to have kidney stones than African-Americans. Adults between the ages of 20 and 40 are more prone to kidney stones, and once they’ve had one are more likely to have them again.
There are different types of kidney stones. They are crystals that break free and lodge on the inner surfaces of the kidney. Normal kidneys produce urine that contains a chemical that prevents these crystals from forming, but for some people the chemical doesn’t stop crystals from forming.
Calcium stones are the most common and since calcium is a part of a healthy diet and needed for bones and muscles, it is normally within our bodies. Any unused calcium goes the kidneys where it is flushed out of the body with the rest of the urine. Calcium that doesn’t get flushed with the urine stays behind, joining other waste products and forms a stone. Other forms of kidney stones, those that are less common are; struvite stones caused by magnesium and usually forms after a urinary tract infection and uric acid stones, and cystine stones. Cystine stones are rare but will run in families.
Different people will experience different symptoms and some of these symptoms resemble other conditions. If you are experiencing any of the following problems, it’s important you consult your doctor for a definite diagnosis. Symptoms are:
- Sharp pain that will not go away in the back or side
- Fever and chills.
- A burning feeling while urinating.
- Frequently urination.
- Finding blood in the urine.
- Urine that has a bad smell or is cloudy.
- Nausea and vomiting.
Your doctor will be able to diagnosis kidney stones with x-rays, urinalysis, blood tests, and by renal ultrasound. Once you have been diagnosed with a kidney stone, there are different treatment methods available if treatment is needed.
Some stones will pass out of the body without any treatment by a doctor. If symptoms are severe and won’t go away, there are choices for getting rid of the stone causing problems. Shock waves sent by a machine direct to the location of the kidney stone, will break the stone into smaller stones and allow them to be passed by the body.
A stone might be recovered with an ureteroscope. A long wire with a camera attached is inserted in the patient’s urethra and up to where the stone is found. A cage then captures the stone and removes it.
Tunnel surgery is another way to get to a kidney stone. A small incision is made in the back and a tunnel is made to where the stone is found and removed through this tunnel.
If you’ve had a kidney stone and are interested in preventing new ones from forming, here are some helpful tips. Drink up to twelve full glasses of water each day. This will help flush away anything in the kidney that can form a stone. Clear sodas and fruit juices are also good to drink. Limit your caffeine intake and ask your doctor if changes should be made to your diet. Medications are available that can be prescribed to prevent forming calcium and uric acid stones.
