Kidney stones are brought about by the crystallization of mineral substances that are contained in the urine. It happens when they are not passed out of the kidneys as the urine passes out. The urine contains chemicals that prevent the crystals from being left behind, but when the chemicals are not sufficient, the crystals are deposited within the kidney where they form larger particles which harden to form the stones.
Assuming they do not crystallize, they sometimes pass out on their own without calling for a doctors attention. The stones contain elements like calcium, oxalate and phosphate. Having kidney stones is a painful condition to be in. The condition is characterized by lower back pain behind the kidneys, spreading all the way around the abdomen. It attacks a person periodically and comes as a sharp sudden pain that could make you jolt out of position. When you have this kind of pain, then the most likely position of the stone is right inside the kidney.
There are some stones that settle in the urinary tract, in the ureter to be specific. When the stone is located here, one experiences pain or a burning sensation when passing urine. Other symptoms to look out for in the diagnosis of kidney stones include fever, nausea, vomiting and passing of cloudy urine. Kidney stones are caused by dependency on some particular types of diets, which are not necessarily bad, but which contain the substances that are likely to crystallize and form the stones.
Among foods that contain very high levels of oxalates are the beet roots, chocolate, spinach, peanuts, sweet potatoes and soya beans. Foods which are thought to contain lower levels of oxalates include liver, strawberries, raspberries and fruit cake. Kidney stones are believed to affect people over the age of 30 years and males are more affected than females. The probability of one developing more stones after an initial encounter is also very high. A person coming from a family with a history of kidney stones is also at a high risk of developing them.
To detect or diagnose kidney stones, a doctor may take some x-rays on the patient as a general health test. The x-ray plays a crucial role in determining the size and actual positioning of the stones. In addition to the x-ray, a doctor may run a urine analysis test to see what might be triggering the formation of the stones. The tests will help determine the treatment to be administered. Prevention is always better than treatment and as such, people need to be educated on the ways in which they can prevent the formation of kidney stones which cause a lot of discomfort before and during treatment.
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KIDNEY STONES
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