{"id":211,"date":"2020-02-20T16:31:27","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T16:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthissues24.co.za\/?p=211"},"modified":"2020-02-20T16:31:27","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T16:31:27","slug":"what-are-the-main-causes-of-kidney-stones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/what-are-the-main-causes-of-kidney-stones\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the main causes of kidney stones?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Kidney stones<\/strong>\u00a0form when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances \u2014 such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid \u2014 than the fluid in your urine can dilute. At the same time, your urine may lack substances that prevent crystals from sticking together, creating an ideal environment for\u00a0<strong>kidney stones<\/strong>\u00a0to form .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Symptoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A kidney stone may not cause symptoms until it moves around within your kidney or passes into your ureter \u2014 the tube connecting the kidney and bladder. At that point, you may experience these signs and symptoms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs<\/li><li>Pain that radiates to the lower abdomen and groin<\/li><li>Pain that comes in waves and fluctuates in intensity<\/li><li>Pain on urination<\/li><li>Pink, red or brown urine<\/li><li>Cloudy or foul-smelling urine<\/li><li>Nausea and vomiting<\/li><li>Persistent need to urinate<\/li><li>Urinating more often than usual<\/li><li>Fever and chills if an infection is present<\/li><li>Urinating small amounts<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Pain caused by a kidney stone may change \u2014 for instance, shifting to a different location or increasing in intensity \u2014 as the stone moves through your urinary tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>When to see a doctor<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any signs and symptoms that worry you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Pain so severe that you can&#8217;t sit still or find a comfortable position<\/li><li>Pain accompanied by nausea and vomiting<\/li><li>Pain accompanied by fever and chills<\/li><li>Blood in your urine<\/li><li>Difficulty passing urine<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>Causes of Kidney Stones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Kidney stones often have no definite, single cause, although several factors may increase your risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kidney stones form when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances \u2014 such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid \u2014 than the fluid in your urine can dilute. At the same time, your urine may lack substances that prevent crystals from sticking together, creating an ideal environment for kidney stones to form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Types of kidney stones<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>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. If possible, try to save your kidney stone if you pass one so that you can bring it to your doctor for analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Types of kidney stones include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Calcium stones.<\/strong>\u00a0Most kidney stones are calcium stones, usually in the form of calcium oxalate. Oxalate is a naturally occurring substance found in food and is also made daily by your liver. Some fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and chocolate, have high oxalate content.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. This type of stone is more common in metabolic conditions, such as renal tubular acidosis. It may also be associated with certain migraine headaches or with taking certain seizure medications.<\/li><li><strong>Struvite stones.<\/strong>\u00a0Struvite 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.<\/li><li><strong>Uric acid stones.<\/strong>\u00a0Uric acid stones can form in people who don&#8217;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.<\/li><li><strong>Cystine stones.<\/strong>\u00a0These stones form in people with a hereditary disorder that causes the kidneys to excrete too much of certain amino acids (cystinuria).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Risk factors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Factors that increase your risk of developing kidney stones include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Family or personal history.<\/strong>&nbsp;If someone in your family has kidney stones, you&#8217;re more likely to develop stones, too. And if you&#8217;ve already had one or more kidney stones, you&#8217;re at increased risk of developing another.<\/li><li><strong>Dehydration.<\/strong>&nbsp;Not drinking enough water each day can increase your risk of kidney stones. People who live in warm climates and those who sweat a lot may be at higher risk than others.<\/li><li><strong>Certain diets.<\/strong>&nbsp;Eating a diet that&#8217;s high in protein, sodium (salt) and sugar may increase your risk of some types of kidney stones. This is especially true with a high-sodium diet. Too much salt in your diet increases the amount of calcium your kidneys must filter and significantly increases your risk of kidney stones.<\/li><li><strong>Being obese.<\/strong>&nbsp;High body mass index (BMI), large waist size and weight gain have been linked to an increased risk of kidney stones.<\/li><li><strong>Digestive diseases and surgery.<\/strong>&nbsp;Gastric bypass surgery, inflammatory bowel disease or chronic diarrhea can cause changes in the digestive process that affect your absorption of calcium and water, increasing the levels of stone-forming substances in your urine.<\/li><li><strong>Other medical conditions.<\/strong>&nbsp;Diseases and conditions that may increase your risk of kidney stones include renal tubular acidosis, cystinuria, hyperparathyroidism, certain medications and some urinary tract infections.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kidney stones\u00a0form when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances \u2014 such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid \u2014 than the fluid in your urine can dilute. At the same time, your urine may lack substances that prevent crystals from sticking together, creating an ideal environment for\u00a0kidney stones\u00a0to form . Symptoms A kidney stone may not\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/what-are-the-main-causes-of-kidney-stones\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}