Kidney stones — causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention/part 1

The arrival of summer is an invitation to a lot of health issues, mainly kidney stones. During summer, the overall increase in humidity makes you sweat more, adding to your risk of dehydration which eventually leads to formation of stones.

Kidney stone problem is medically called nephrolithiasis. The stones are small lumps of waste products (minerals and salts) in the blood that get accumulated inside the kidneys during the process of filtration. Small stones readily get passed through the urine but when the minerals aggregate, they crystallize and become hard to form larger stones which are hard to pass through urine.

In this article, our expert Dr Avinash Ignatius, senior consultant nephrologist, discusses the risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of kidney stones.

What are the risk factors of kidney stones?

Kidney stones occur in about 5% of the population and a person may about have about 8-10% of chances of passing a kidney stone in a lifetime.

Kidney stones are more frequent in men than women, because they have more muscle mass as compared to women. So, the daily breakdown of muscle tissues result in increased metabolic wastes and a predisposition to stone formation. Other risk factors include:

• Family history: You are more likely to develop stones if someone in your family has had stones
• Personal history: The risk of having a kidney stone is much higher if you have already had a stone.
• Age: Though kidney stones can occur at any age, they are most common in adults aged 40 and above.
• Obesity: High body mass index (BMI), large waist size and weight gain have been linked to an increased risk of kidney stones
• Dehydration: Inadequate fluid intake will increase your risk of kidney stones. People living in hot arid regions or working in environments where they tend to sweat a lot will have a higher risk of developing stones.
• Certain diets: Eating a diet that’s high in animal protein, sodium and has low fibre content can increase your risk for kidney stones. This is especially true for a high-sodium diet. Too much sodium increases the calcium load on your kidneys, significantly increases your risk of kidney stones.
• Existing medical conditions: Gastric bypass surgery, inflammatory bowel disease or chronic diarrhea cause changes in the digestive process that affect your absorption of calcium and water, increasing the levels of stone-forming substances in your urine. Renal tubular acidosis, cystinuria, thyroid problem (hyperparathyroidism) and some urinary tract infections can increase stone formation.

Source:  http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/kidney-stones-cause-risk-factors-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment-and-prevention/part1