Kidney stone
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
Kidney stones are solid accretions (crystals) of dissolved minerals in urine found inside the kidneys or ureters. Also known as nephrolithiasis, urolithiasis or renal calculi. They vary in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Kidney stones typically leave the body in the urine stream; if they grow relatively large before passing, their jagged crystalline shape can cause severe pain in the ureters and urethra.
Consumption of too much calcium can aggravate the development of kidney stones, since the most common type of stone is calcium oxalate. The calcium renders these stones radio-opaque and they can be detected by an KUB (an X-ray of the abdomen that extends from the kidneys to the bladder). Other examples of kidney stones include struvite (magnesium, ammonium and phosphate), uric acid, calcium phosphate, or cystine (the amino acid found only in people suffering from cystinuria). The formation of struvite stones is associated with the presence of proteus mirabilis bacteria. There are many types of kidney stone, and a person may be susceptible to only some of them.
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Symptoms
Kidney stones are often idiopathic and asymptomatic until they start to move, but symptoms can include acute renal colic, nausea and vomiting, restlessness, dull pain, hematuria, and possibly fever. Acute renal colic is described as one of the worst types of acute, sharp pain that a patient can suffer from.
Treatment
Treatments include dietary modifications (including the advice to drink plenty of water), medications, and use of a lithotriptor. Surgery is rarely used to remove kidney stones; instead pain management is used while waiting for the stone to pass on its own. However, in severe cases, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, retrograde intrarenal surgery, percutaneous nephrolithotripsy, or open surgery may be necessary. This is especially so if the stone is stuck, causing obstruction and infection of the urinary tract.
Recent research
Controversial recent research has suggested a link between kidney stones and the presence of nanobacteria. If this should be proven to be true then there would be important implications for their treatment and prevention.
More information
Kidney stones are unrelated to gallstones.
The author Isaac Asimov suffered from kidney stones, and wrote about how his pain was treated with morphine, saying that he feared becoming addicted to it if he ever needed it again.
External links
- http://www.methodisthealth.com/urogen/stones.htm - Info on the disorder
- http://www.herringlab.com/photos/ - Pictures of kidney stones, showing their crystalline shape
de:Nierenstein sv:Njursten
