Kidneys ensure that waste materials are removed from the body so that life can continue. On the other hand, kidney stones may form in the kidneys, which have the task of filtering some substances necessary for the body and adjusting their levels, depending on the problems in the mechanism related to this task. Although it is still not clear why these mechanisms are impaired, stone disease can be affected by various factors from nutrition to genetics, from geography to gender. is thought to be related. Sometimes, these stones, which do not show any symptoms for a long time, sometimes fall into the urinary tract and cause patients to apply to health institutions with unbearable pain.
Reasons
While some minerals in the blood are excreted from the kidneys, they are dissolved in the urine at a certain solubility in equilibrium. However, due to the decrease in solubility and accumulation of crystals for various reasons, crystals collapse and stones form in chamber-like collecting systems in the kidney. Calcium oxalate stones form about 80 percent of the stones. Apart from this, stones due to infections, uric acid stones, cystine stones and calcium phosphate stones are also seen. Factors related to nutrition are important in stone formation. The most important of these is not drinking enough fluids. High animal protein intake in the diet, high sodium consumption, excessive use of refined sugars, and excessive consumption of coffee or cocoa-like foods can be counted among the reasons. Urinary tract infections, structural disorders in the kidney, some drugs and genetic factors can also be effective in stone formation.
Symptoms
While very small stones can pass through the urinary tract unnoticed, as the size of the stone grows, they can get stuck in the tube (ureter) connecting the kidney and the bladder. The most common complaint in patients with kidney stones is pain. In some patients, the pain is so mild that it cannot be noticed, while in others it can be extremely severe. Pain caused by kidney stones is generally seen as pain that appears and disappears at intervals. Patients often describe the pain as “flank pain”. Apart from this pain, the symptoms of kidney stones are:
pain when urinating
blood in the urine
nausea or vomiting
frequent urination
Difficulty urinating or urinating in small amounts
fever and chills
In some patients, kidney stones can be detected incidentally as a result of tests performed for other purposes without any complaints.
Diagnostic Methods
In kidney stone disease, along with the patient’s history and physical examination, urinary system radiography and ultrasonography can be performed to support the findings and clarify the diagnosis. When these two tests are used together, a very large part of kidney stones can be detected.
Urine analysis is performed to detect occasional urinary tract infections or bleeding in the urine due to the stone. In addition, blood triggers can be used to determine the nature of the stones or to investigate their causes. Non-contrast Computed Tomography (CT) can be performed to detect very small stones or to see the anatomy of the kidney in patients who are scheduled for surgery. In intravenous pyelography (IVP), another method used for the detection of kidney stones and the evaluation of the urinary tract, a detectable drug is administered through the patient’s vascular access under X-ray, and the blood is drawn from the kidneys. After filtering, X-rays are taken as the drug passes through the urinary tract, so that the blood flow in the body, kidney stones, clogged areas in the urinary tract and kidneys can be observed.
Treatment Methods
After the diagnosis of kidney stone is made with the examinations, the most important factors in the treatment planning are the size of the stone and its location in the kidney. As the size of the kidney stone increases, the chance of the patient to spontaneously pass the stone decreases. In addition, in kidney collecting systems, stones located in the upper part are more likely to fall than those located in the lower part. The type of treatment is determined by the severity of the patient’s pain due to the stone, whether the stone causes any damage to the kidney and whether it impairs kidney functions. Identifying the underlying cause of the stones is important in the treatment. For this, it may be necessary to carry out detailed laboratory tests, and to check the levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, uric acid, vitamin D and parathormone in the blood.
Examination of the patient’s urine pH, urinary cystine, uric acid, oxalate levels and if an underlying metabolic or hormonal cause is detected, their treatment is important in the treatment and prevention of kidney stones. Structural disorders that may exist in the kidney or urinary tract are investigated in detail with radiological examinations. can be corrected surgically if necessary.
