Before one would understand what kidney stones is as one needs to know the function of the kidney. The kidney is a vital organ of the body. It is responsible for functions relating to the filtration of the blood and makes urine and this removing the waste form the body. In case, the kidney stops to work the waste would not be disposed off from the body and hence, there would be concerns as the waste is not taken care off.
In the urine there are chemicals and at times these chemicals get together and for small stones or particles. These particles would not be bigger than a sand particle. But, over the period of time these would get accumulated to turn into kidney stones. Till the time these stones would be there in the kidney, it would not be a concern, however, when it gets to the ureter, which is the tube that joins the kidney with the bladder, it poses concerns. The stone would act like a dam and would create pressure and thus the person would feel the pain. Clearly, more than the size of the kidney stones, it is the location of the same which would cause problems and would need medical attention.
The causes of kidney stones may vary from person to person. One of the causes is heredity. As your biological parents have or had kidney stones, would make you more prone to have these as well. At the same time the geographical location that a person is living at would be the cause of kidney stones. Like for example, Americans living in the southern region of the country are more likely to have kidney stones. This would be because of hot climate and less than required intake of water. Diet is another reason for people to develop kidney stones. The kidney stones would have a lot of calcium deposits. Thus, foods rich in calcium when one is prone to kidney stones would accelerate the process of building these kidney stones. Certain medications also lead to the development of these as well or there could be some underlined illness to kidney stones as well.
As mentioned the ureter is blocked by these kidney stones which would act as a dam. The body would create waves to take care of this obstruction and these would cause pain. These pain waves are called colic. The person having kidney stones would feel intense pain which would be wax and wane but there would be a persistent ache underlying. When in pain it would be very difficult for the person to get in a comfortable posture. Vomiting, nausea and sweating would be common signs. People might see blood while urinating.
The doctor needs to be consulted to see how sever the problem is. In some cases the kidney stones are quite tiny and could be diluted and disposed off like the other body waste. In some case, surgical procedures are needed to take these kidney stones out. Usually there is a laundry list of self care tips that the doctors would recommend to avoid the reoccurrence of these kidney stones.
Author Resource:-
Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women's Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women. http://www.womenscenter.com/
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