In this column, I would like to throw some light on another common urological disease i. e kidney stones.
A small, hard deposit that forms in the kidney is often painful when passed.
Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and acid salts that stick together in concentrated urine. They can be painful when passing through the urinary tract, but usually don’t cause permanent damage. But if the stone is stuck in the urinary passage anywhere from the kidney to the bladder it may cause swelling of the kidney and impaired renal function temporarily till the stone is cleared from the system.
The most common symptom is severe pain, usually, in the side of the abdomen, that’s often associated with nausea.
People may experience:
- Pain areas: in the back or side part of the body
- Pain types: can be severe, sharp, or sudden in the abdomen
- Pain circumstances: can occur during urination
- Gastrointestinal: nausea or vomiting
- Urinary: blood in the urine or frequent urination
- Also common: sweating
Treatment includes pain relievers and drinking lots of water to help pass the stone. Medical procedures may be required to remove or break up larger stones.
Supportive care
Monitoring for changes or improvement, Increase fluid intake and IV fluids
Medical procedure
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy, Ureteroscopic stone removal, and Laser lithotripsy
Medications
Narcotic, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and Diuretic.
Keep yourself well hydrated to avoid kidney stone formation but if you are a recurrent kidney stone former then metabolic reasons have to be ruled out.
Dr. Smita Karmakar
Urology Department
Woodlands Hospital
Ph: 8017523241
