Kidney stones, also called renal calculi or nephrolithiasis, are solid mineral deposits formed in the urinary system. Common stone types include calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones and cystine stones.
Sharp pain in the back or side
BIMARIDUR HEALTH ENCYCLOPEDIA
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are hard, pebble-like deposits that form in the kidneys when certain minerals and salts become concentrated in urine. A small stone may pass without symptoms, while a larger stone can cause severe pain, bleeding, urinary blockage or infection.
ICDN20.0
Affected areaKidneys, ureters and urinary tract.
ContagiousnessKidney stones are not contagious and cannot spread from person to person.
01 • QUICK UNDERSTANDING
What is Kidney Stones?
02 • BODY & MECHANISM
What happens in the body?
Body structure involved
The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Kidneys filter blood and produce urine. Ureters transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
How it starts
Kidney stones begin when urine becomes supersaturated with stone-forming substances. Crystals form and grow, eventually becoming a stone.
What happens inside the body
Minerals and other substances in urine can become concentrated and form crystals. Crystals may grow and join together into a stone. A stone can remain in the kidney or move into the ureter, where it may obstruct urine flow and cause pain.
03 • TYPES & CLASSIFICATION
Types and classification
Major stone types include calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones and cystine stones. Calcium oxalate is a particularly common calcium-based stone.
The major types are calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite or infection stones, and cystine stones caused by an inherited disorder of cystine handling.
04 • SYMPTOMS
Symptoms and warning signs
Pain radiating to the lower abdomen or groin
Blood in the urine
Painful urination
Frequent urge to urinate
Nausea or vomiting
Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
Difficulty passing urine
Fever or chills when infection is present
Some small stones cause no symptoms
06 • CAUSES
What can cause this disease?
Causes include concentrated urine, high urinary calcium, oxalate or uric acid, low urinary citrate, recurrent urinary infection, certain inherited disorders, dehydration and some medical conditions or medicines.
07 • RISK FACTORS
Who may have a higher risk?
1
Previous kidney stones
2
Family history of kidney stones
3
Low fluid intake
4
Hot climate or heavy sweating
5
High dietary sodium
6
High animal-protein intake
7
Obesity
8
Certain metabolic disorders
9
Recurrent urinary tract infections
08 • DIAGNOSIS
How is Kidney Stones diagnosed?
Diagnosis uses medical history, examination, urinalysis, blood tests and imaging. Noncontrast CT is commonly used to identify stone size and location, while ultrasound and selected X-rays may also be used.
Clinical evaluation
Flank or abdominal tenderness
Pain radiating toward the groin
Blood in urine
Painful urination
Reduced urine output
Fever or chills
Nausea or vomiting
History of previous stones
Laboratory tests
Urinalysis
Urine microscopy
Urine culture when infection is suspected
Serum creatinine
Blood calcium
Serum uric acid
Electrolytes
24-hour urine metabolic evaluation for recurrent stones
Stone composition analysis
Imaging and scans
Noncontrast CT of the urinary tract
Renal and urinary tract ultrasound
Abdominal X-ray in selected cases
Follow-up imaging when obstruction or residual stones are being monitored
CT or ultrasound according to pregnancy and clinical circumstances
Special or confirmatory tests
Stone analysis
24-hour urine collection
Metabolic stone evaluation
Parathyroid evaluation when hypercalcemia suggests hyperparathyroidism
Genetic evaluation for selected recurrent or early-onset stone disorders
09 • DIFFERENTIAL CONTEXT
Conditions that may look similar
Urinary tract infection
Pyelonephritis
Appendicitis
Gallbladder disease
Musculoskeletal back pain
Gynecologic conditions
Abdominal aortic conditions
10 • EXTENT / STAGE
Stages or severity
Kidney stones do not have cancer-style stages. Clinical assessment focuses on stone size, location, composition, obstruction, infection, kidney function and likelihood of spontaneous passage.
Important:
Staging or grading systems differ between diseases. The information here is educational and should be interpreted by a qualified healthcare professional in the context of the individual case.
11 • TREATMENT
How is Kidney Stones treated?
Small stones may pass naturally with appropriate medical care. Treatment can include pain medicines, hydration when appropriate, medical expulsive therapy in selected cases, shock-wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
Medicines that may be used
Pain-relieving medicines
Medical expulsive therapy in selected patients
Potassium citrate for selected recurrent stone types
Thiazide-type medicines for selected calcium-stone patients
Allopurinol for selected uric-acid or hyperuricosuric patients
Antibiotics for infection-related stones when infection is present
Medicine safety:
Medicines listed here are for educational information only. Do not start, stop, or change a medicine without professional medical advice.
12 • COMPLICATIONS
Possible complications
Complications include urinary obstruction, severe pain, hematuria, urinary tract infection, kidney infection and, rarely, loss of kidney function.
URGENT SAFETY INFORMATION
When should urgent medical help be considered?
Fever or chills with suspected urinary obstruction
Severe flank pain with fever
Unable to urinate
Persistent vomiting with dehydration
Severe uncontrolled pain
Very low urine output or sudden deterioration in kidney function
If symptoms are severe, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening, seek emergency medical care immediately.
13 • OUTLOOK
Prognosis and recovery outlook
Most appropriately treated kidney stones do not cause permanent kidney damage. Recurrent stones require prevention strategies because repeated episodes can cause complications.
How to interpret these statistics
Survival statistics describe outcomes in groups of people and cannot predict exactly what will happen to one individual. Prognosis depends on factors such as cancer stage, tumor biology, treatment response, overall health, and follow-up.
14 • EPIDEMIOLOGY
How common is it?
Kidney stones affect people worldwide. Risk is influenced by age, sex, family history, climate, fluid intake, diet, obesity, metabolic disorders and certain medicines.
15 • PREVENTION
Risk reduction and prevention
Drink sufficient fluids, limit excessive sodium, maintain appropriate dietary calcium, moderate excessive animal protein and follow stone-specific dietary recommendations based on stone analysis or metabolic testing.
16 • PREPARE FOR YOUR VISIT
Questions you may ask your doctor
1
How large is my kidney stone?
2
Where exactly is the stone located?
3
Is my urinary tract blocked?
4
Do I have a urinary infection?
5
Can this stone pass naturally?
6
Do I need a procedure to remove it?
7
What type of stone do I have?
8
Should I undergo a 24-hour urine evaluation?
9
What dietary changes should I make?
10
What symptoms mean I should seek emergency care?
Important medical information
BimariDur provides educational health information to help people understand diseases, symptoms, tests, and treatment concepts. It does not replace examination, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Do not delay professional medical care because of information read on BimariDur.