Urinary stones or urolithiasis is the medical term used when solid formations or calculi occur within the urinary tract from deposits forming crystals from substances in the urine. They can occur at any point of the urinary system which is composed of kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Bleeding urinary stones are a common urological ailment, and may lead to a lot of suffering to the patient.
Types of Urinary Stones
There are several types of urinary stones, classified based on their chemical composition:
- Calcium Stones: It is the most frequently occurring as it constitutes around 80% of the urinary stones. These are the following; Calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate.
- Uric Acid Stones: Develop when the urine is constantly acidic abnormally. These are mostly associated with gout patients or patients on chemotherapy.
- Cystine Stones: Occur infrequently and are generally associated with nephrolithiasis in patients with cystinuria; this is a genetic disorder affecting the cystine renal transport. To get help visit a Urologist in Islamabad.
Causes and Risk Factors
Several factors contribute to the formation of urinary stones:
- Dehydration: Frequent and excessive consumption of protein-rich foods may be another reason for making stone formation more likely: the food has to put unwanted substances into water, and if there is not enough of it, they form stones.
- Diet: Oxalate, salt, or animal protein intake also raises the risk; other foods that raise the risk include spinach and nuts.
- Genetics: Any prior history of stones in an individual’s family may increase a person’s chances of developing them.
- Medical Conditions: An association between hyperparathyroidism, renal tubular acidosis, urinary tract infection and increased risk can be described.
- Medications: While on their own some medications are harmless, others like diuretics and calcium based antacids promote formation of the stones.
Symptoms
Urinary stones can cause a variety of symptoms, including:
- Severe Pain: Usually in the back region, on the sides, the lower abdomen or the groin area. You can actually feel the pain to be sharp and more often in episodes.
- Hematuria: The passage of blood with the urine that can be of different colors, which includes pink, red or brown.
- Nausea and Vomiting: It is a condition that can be occasional and that mostly presents itself when the patient is in severe pain.
- Frequent Urination: A clear sense of urge to piss usually in small volumes.
- Urinary Tract Infections: Signs like fever and chills on developing a urinary system infectious illness and cloudy or bad smelling urine.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis usually involves a combination of the following:
- Imaging: Helping people suffering from urinary stones can be done effectively by determining techniques for its detection where CT is the most sensitive technique for the detection of urinary stones. Ultrasound and X-rays are also used Pneumonia is another infection that is part of this category It is treatable by both Formal and Informal Health Care Facilities
- Urinalysis: To find blood cavities, crystal structure, or infection.
- Blood Tests: To evaluate renal status and concentrations of substances related to the risk of stone forming.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the size, type, and location of the stone, as well as the severity of symptoms:
- Conservative Management: Stones that are less than 5mm in size usually do not require any treatment, and they leave the body after taking more water and relieving pain.
- Medications: Alpha-blockers can be used to make the muscles of the ureter as well as the rest of the urinary tract to relax with intention of easing passage of the stone. Analgesics are prescribed to relieve pain.
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL): Has the ability of using sound waves to shatter kidney stones into smaller pieces that can easily be passed in urine.
- Ureteroscopy: A ureteroscope which is a thin fiber optic tube is passed through the urethra, bladder into the ureter to crush the stone or to remove it.
- Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: One for large or complex stone surgery in which a small incision is made in the back to get access to the urinary system organs to extract the stone.
- Open Surgery: Seldom an issue but can often be resorted to when other modalities have proven to be inconducive or impossible.
Prevention
Preventing urinary stones involves lifestyle and dietary modifications:
- Hydration: Avoiding sensitive tasks such as driving when paleness may lead to accidents as well as eating breakfast to avoid fainting as a result of paleness.
- Dietary Changes: Exclusion of salty foods, oxalate containing foods, and animal protein. One was able to note that high levels of oxalate stones could be prevented by a diet that had high levels of calcium.
- Medications: Because of the added characteristics of recurrent stone formers, appropriate medications may be administered to adequately manage their contributing medical ailments.
One should ensure that they visit a Urologist in Lahore for follow-up to check for recurring stones. Thus, by learning causes and making preventive measures, individuals can decrease the chances of getting urinary stone formation, and control existing ones.