BY: CAROLINE WEBSTER

How are kidney stones formed

Formation of kidney stones

Kidney stones are made up of a compound of calcium oxalate and dissolved minerals in the urine that accumulate…

When there is not enough water to dilute uric acid the pH level within the kidneys drops and becomes more acidic forming crystals

Calcium oxalate crystals

There are four main types of stones

1. Calcium oxalate- the most common stone is created when calcium is combined to oxalate in the urine. Prevent eating to many foods that increase oxalate such as beets, spinach, strawberries, nuts, chocolate, tea, wheat bran, and beans.

2. Uric acid- Foods such as shellfish and organ meats that contain the chemical protein purine this leads to a higher production of monosodium urate.

3. Struvite- Caused by infection in the upper urinary tract

4. Cystine- These are very rare and run in families

How do you diagnose kidney stones?

Blood is obtained to exclude signs of infection throughout the body.

Urine is sent for a urinalysis and culture, and to examine for infection.

An X-ray of the abdomen is taken and will sometimes be enough to pinpoint a calcification in the area of the kidneys to be able to identify an obstructing stone. 

Stones usually cause symptoms when they block outflow of the urine from the kidney that leads to the bladder….because it causes the kidney to stretch.

Symptoms

pain centered in the sides which may spread towards the front of the abdomen or to the groin area.

The pain may become so severe that the patient becomes unable to find a comfortable position.

Nausea and vomiting accompany the pain. Blood in the urine known as (hematuria) may also appear

when a stone is in the kidney. People with diabetes could develop a fever from infected

urine that becomes trapped behind a stone. Some stones end up being washed out of the kidney by urine

flow or possibly trapped within the ureter

Some stones end up being washed out of the kidney by urine flow or possibly trapped within the ureter

Citations

Works Cited "Kidney Stones Center - WebMD." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web.

26 Jan. 2015. "Kidney Stones: Click for Pictures and Symptoms." EMedicineHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

"Kidney Stones: Symptoms and Treatment Facts." MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.