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What
Are Kidney Stones?: A
kidney stone is a large crystals or "stone" that forms
in the kidney. Different salts in the urine can precipitate to
form a stone. These salts precipitate most commonly when
they occur in high concentrations in the urine. Stones occur
commonly and usually do not cause damage to the kidney or urinary
tract. Sometimes the stone(s) remains in the kidney without
ever being noticed. When the stone passes from the kidney to
the bladder severe excruciating pain ensues that is relieved only
after the stone has passed. If the stone gets stuck in the
ureter (see
image) on its way from the kidney to the bladder, severe
unrelenting pain can occur until the stone is removed. In a
minority of people the stone never makes its way out of the kidney
but continues to grow until it interferes with the function of the
kidney.
Purpose
Of This Website: Kidney
stones are an extremely common condition with a 1 in 10
lifetime risk for the general population. They occur more
commonly in certain groups and professions, such as, Caucasions,
males and people with sedentary lifestyles or jobs with decreased
access to water, such as police officers. Unfortunately, most
people who have had a stone will develop more. This web site
will describe the different types of kidney stones, and their
diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive strategies. Since
recurrent KIDNEY STONES
CAN BE PREVENTED,
an appropriate evaluation should be performed.
How
To Use This Web Guide: This
guide is meant to educate people with kidney stones about the
different types of stones, their possible causes, and different
medical, dietary, and surgical treatments. This page should be
particularly useful to those who know what type of stones they form
or have had 24 hour urine and standard blood studies.
You can ask your doctor the final analyses from these tests and use
this guide for further understanding. You should not use this
web site to determine your own treatment strategies. It
does not replace the professional advice of your physician, but
rather serves as an aid for further understanding.
What
Doctor Should I See For My Stones: Several
types of doctors can help you cope with your kidney stone problem.
The type of doctor you should see often depends on your unique
problems. In general, for someone who has had only one
uncomplicated episode of forming and passing a single stone, a visit
with a general internist or family practitioner is probably
sufficient. For someone who has a stone that is actively passing and
causing severe pain, a visit to the emergency room is necessary for
intravenous fluids and strong pain relievers until the stone and
pain pass. If the stone is stuck or a stone is found to be
growing and threatening the function of the kidney, then a urologist
(who is a surgical specialist) will be needed to remove the stone
(see Surgical
Removal/Lithotripsy). For people with a history of
recurrent kidney stones, multiple stones, or a very complicated
first kidney stone episode a nephrologist (a medical kidney disease
specialist) will likely by helpful to perform a thorough blood,
urine, metabolic, and dietary analysis in order to utilize dietary
and medical interventions. Scientific studies have
proven that proper interventions (medical and dietary) do
significantly decrease the formation of new stones. |
