By Dr. Prashant K Vaidya,Homeopathy

KIDNEY STONES

Kidney stones (renal lithiasis) are small, hard deposits that form inside your kidneys. The stones are made of mineral and acid salts. Kidney stones have many causes and can affect any part of your urinary tract — from your kidneys to your bladder. Often, stones form when the urine becomes concentrated, allowing minerals to crystallize and stick together.

Types of kidney stones

Knowing the type of kidney stone helps determine the cause and may give clues on how to reduce your risk of getting more kidney stones. Types of kidney stones include:

1. Calcium stones. Most kidney stones are calcium stones, usually in the form of calcium oxalate. Oxalate is a naturally occurring substance found in food. Some fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and chocolate, have high oxalate levels. Your liver also produces oxalate. Dietary factors, high doses of vitamin D, intestinal bypass surgery and several metabolic disorders can increase the concentration of calcium or oxalate in urine. Calcium stones may also occur in the form of calcium phosphate.
2. Struvite stones. Struvite stones form in response to an infection, such as a urinary tract infection. These stones can grow quickly and become quite large, sometimes with few symptoms or little warning.
3. Uric acid stones. Uric acid stones can form in people who don’t drink enough fluids or who lose too much fluid, those who eat a high-protein diet, and those who have gout. Certain genetic factors also may increase your risk of uric acid stones.
4. Cystine stones. These stones form in people with a hereditary disorder that causes the kidneys to excrete too much of certain amino acids (cystinuria).
5. Other stones. Other, rarer types of kidney stones can occur.

SYMPTOMS

A kidney stone may not cause symptoms until it moves around within your kidney or passes into your ureter - the tube connecting the kidney and bladder. At that point, these signs and symptoms may occur:

1. Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs
2. Pain that spreads to the lower abdomen and groin
3. Pain that comes in waves and fluctuates in intensity
4. Pain on urination
5. Pink, red or brown urine
6. Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
7. Nausea and vomiting
8. Persistent urge to urinate
9. Urinating more often than usual
10. Fever and chills if an infection is present

Pain caused by a kidney stone may change - for instance, shifting to a different location or increasing in intensity - as the stone moves through your urinary tract.