Kidney Stones

How do kidney stones form?

Urine has various waste chemicals dissolved in it, which get eliminated by the kidneys. When the urine becomes overly concentrated meaning, there is too much waste in too little liquid, crystals begin to form. The crystals bind together to form hard, dry chunks².
At the same time, your urine may lack substances that prevent crystals from sticking together. So, the body compensates by forming stones with the excess substances⁶.

1 in 10 people will have a kidney stone at some time in their lives^2,3

How are kidney stones treated?

Preventative care
The main goal is to prevent the onset and recurrence of kidney stones.
Drink adequate water daily, to make your urine pale yellow or almost colourless and to achieve urinary output of at least 2.5ml/day⁴

Adjust your diet to limit intake of high-risk foods
Avoid crash, extreme weight-loss diets
Moderate your alcohol intake
Check your family medical history
Have regular medical check-ups
Take steps to control underlying medical conditions
Consult your healthcare provider, to get professional medical advice

Visually observe your urine colour and clarity
While the urine is generally darker in the morning, if it’s consistently orange or brown, drink more water until it becomes light yellow or pale straw yellow. You can also check urine pH levels with pH test strips from your local pharmacy.

Pharmacological intervention

The treatment for kidney stones is similar in children and adults. Doctors may try to facilitate stone passage without surgery. In addition to lifestyle or dietary changes, you may get medication to

Help pass your kidney stone (diuretic, alpha-blocker)
Reduce renal colic episodes (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs)
Make your urine less acidic (urinary-alkalinizer)
Supportive care may also be provided with rehydration therapy, pain relievers, or antiemetics (nausea, vomiting)

Surgical procedures

If all fails, surgical procedures may be considered to either break up, remove or bypass kidney stones that are

too large, or block urinary flow
delicately located and posing a risk of bleeding, kidney damage
a sign of recurrent kidney stones and ongoing urinary tract infections

Causes and risk factors

A kidney stone often has no definite, single cause, but its prevalence is on the rise. The increase has been attributed to several factors:

Insufficient water intake
Dietary choices e.g. high-protein, high sodium (salt), low-fibre intake
Alcohol intake
Exercise (too little or too much)
Family or personal history of stone disease
Pre-existing medical conditions e.g. dehydration, chronic diarrhoea, obesity, malabsorption, hypertension, diabetes, urinary tract infections
Habitual use of certain medications e.g. antacids, laxatives
Trauma or surgery e.g. gastric bypass surgery

Men have double the risk of developing a kidney stone than women ^2,3

Signs and symptoms of kidney stones

The symptoms could be one or more of the following:

Severe pain (also known as renal colic) on either side of your lower back, which may be accompanied by high temperature
Frequent urination and persistent urge to urinate
Blood in the urine
Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy

Kidney stones have been found in children as young as 5 years of age ^2,3

One kidney stone can lead to another
Once kidney stones are removed, without preventative measures you have a 50% chance of developing new stones within 5 years or so.⁵ The average rate of new stone formation in those who develop recurrent stones is 1 every 2 to 3 years.⁶

Medical References

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