What is Kidney Stone?
Kidney stone disease is a crystal concretion formed usually within the kidneys. It is an increasing urological disorder of human health, affecting about 12% of the world population. It is the most common disease of the urinary tract. Kidney stones have been associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney diseases, end-stage renal failure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. It has been suggested that kidney stone may be a systemic disorder linked to the metabolic syndrome.
Symptoms
The symptoms of kidney stone are related to their location whether it is in the kidney, ureter, or urinary bladder.
- renal colic (intense cramping pain)
- flank pain (pain in the back side)
- hematuria (bloody urine)
- obstructive uropathy (urinary tract disease)
- urinary tract infections
- blockage of urine flow
- hydronephrosis (dilation of the kidney)
Cause
Formation of kidney stones (calculogenesis) is a complex and multifactorial process including intrinsic (such as age, sex, and heredity) and extrinsic factors such as geography, climate, dietary, mineral composition, and water intake.
Risk Factors
- Lifestyle habits and dietary/nutritional factors
- Metabolic disorders
- Hypercalcemic disorders
- Urine composition
- Low urine volume
- Recurrent urinary tract infections
- Genetic predisposition/inherited disorders
- Anatomical abnormalities
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Climate change
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Absence of intestinal oxalate-degrading bacteria
- Lithogenic drugs