Kidney Stones
What are kidney stones? Kidney Stones are small hard masses of salts and minerals, found in the urine, which crystallize inside the kidneys. Under normal circumstances, the chemicals in the urine inhibit the formation of such crystals. But in some cases, these inhibitors fail to work, and crystals of different sizes are formed. In time these stones move down the ureter and are expelled in the urine.
When these stones are very tiny, they are unnoticed, as they are passed out from the body. Problems arise when they are larger. The friction caused as they move down the narrow tube of the ureter leads to pain. In some cases, they get stuck in the ureter, leading to infections in the kidneys, sometimes permanently damaging the kidneys.
Kidney stones are made up of different combinations of minerals and chemicals. Most commonly found is calcium combined with either phosphate or oxalate. Then there are uric acid stones and cystine stones which are less common. Some kidney stones like struvite (infection stone) or nephrolithiasis, are caused due to urinary tract infections, or infections in the ureter.
Causes of Kidney Stones:
1. Diet is sometimes held responsible for formation f kidney stones, especially in people susceptible to it. A diet which is low in fiber and high in meats, fats, sodium and sugar can often cause stone formation.
2. Certain medications and higher levels of Vitamin C, more than the daily requirement of 500 mg per day, also increase the risk of kidney stones by causing hyperoxaluria.
3. People who do not drink sufficient water are also prone to kidney stones. When the body is dehydrated, high levels of uric acid accumulate in the body, along with higher levels of calcium and oxalate. These slowly crystallize into hard masses.
4. The urine contains chemicals like citrate, magnesium and pyro-phosphate, which inhibit crystallization. When the levels of these inhibitors are low, especially of citrate, it causes hypocitraturia, a form of kidney stones.
5. Family history such as renal tubular acidosis, may also be a cause of kidney stones.
6. Metabolic disorders such as cystinuria, hyper-parathyroidism and hyperoxaluria are also linked to formation of kidney stones.
7. Urinary tract infections, gout, hyper-tension, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, and chronic inflammation of the bowels are other factors.
Treatment: Medicines to inhibit over-production of certain harmful chemicals or to dissolve them have been found fruitful. In some cases surgery may be the only option. For larger stones, a non-invasive procedure called Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is used, to break up the stones into smaller particles, which can pass easily through the ureter.
Home Remedies: Foods such as water-melon, parsley, figs, pomegranate, basil and grapefruit are helpful in lowering the incidence of kidney stones. Cutting down on foods with a high oxalate and calcium content such as rhubarbs, chocolates, spinach, beet and asparagus is also recommended.
