Aishwarya Iyer
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Written By: Aishwarya Iyer | Updated : July 31, 2018 12:30 PM IST
Dealing with the symptoms of kidney stones is painful and it can put someone out of work or cause hindrance in their day to day life. Urinary stones or kidney stones are small, hard deposits of uric acid that form in the kidneys and are painful when passed in the urinary tract. When calcium in the body combines with oxalate, phosphate or carbonate- they form a stone. The main causes of kidney stones are poor diet, dehydration, obesity, allergies, mineral deficiencies or diet with high oxalates. "The disease affects both men and women of all age groups, starting from 5 years of age," said Dr Sumit Mehta, Consultant Urologist and Andrologist, Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi.
Symptoms: Sometimes urinary stone disease (USD) does not show any symptoms. Therefore it can get a little difficult to identify it. However, here are a few indicators that you should watch out for:
1. Severe abdominal and lower back pain which moves to the groin region.
2. Voiding pain and urinary symptoms of a poor interrupted urinary stream, or inability to pass urine.
3. Fever and vomiting.
4. Discolouration of urine.
5. Indigestion.
Causes: While the most common cause of USD is dehydration, there could be other causes of it too. Few of them include:
1. Processed meat
2. Consumption of very salty food
3. Obesity
4. Sedentary lifestyle
5. Excess consumption of caffeine or alcohol.
"Tests are done when there are one or more symptoms. Some of the tests include routine and microscopic examination of the urine, blood counts, serum creatinine levels, and blood sugar levels, an X-ray of the urinary passage, Ultrasonography and a CT scan," added Dr Mehta.
Treatment:
Hydration and pain relief medication are recommended to help small stones (less than 5 mm in adults) to pass out.
"Antibiotics may be advised if there is an associated infection. Scientific medicine does not have medication to dissolve stones, except in some patients with a rare metabolic stone disease. Medication is usually prescribed to encourage passage of stones painlessly. It needs to be monitored with a good follow-up. If the stones are damaging the kidneys or are detrimental to the patient's health, other modalities are recommended," added Dr Mehta.
Lasers are also used to break stones with precision along with all the above minimally invasive modalities.
Home Remedies:
1) Aloe vera juice: A wonder juice in itself, aloe vera has various medicinal properties. When 1/4 cup of aloe vera juice is consumed daily, it helps in reducing the crystallization of minerals within the urinary tract.
2) Castor oil: Castor oil has anti-inflammatory abilities that will help in reducing the pain associated with USD. All you should do is buy a hot oil compress or soak a towel in warm castor oil and keep it over the kidney about 3 times a day.
3) Have adequate fluids: Consuming adequate water is said to be the best treatment for USD. However, having other fluids like fruit-infused water, herbal teas or
fruit juices could be of great help.
4) Cranberries: These are low in potassium and high in antioxidants, which flushes out excess uric acid from the body. It also lowers your risk of kidney stones due to low levels of oxalate and potassium. Having 400 milligrams of cranberry extract twice a day can reduce the risk of developing USD and also balances calcium levels.
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