Kidney stones

What are kidney stones?

Urine* contains many dissolved minerals and salts. When your urine has high levels of these minerals and salts, you can form stones. Kidney stones can start small but can grow larger in size, even filling the inner hollow structures of the
kidney*. Some stones stay in the kidney, and do not cause any problems. Sometimes, the kidney stone can travel down the ureter*, the tube between the kidney and the bladder*.
If the stone reaches the bladder, it can be passed out of the body in urine. If the stone becomes lodged in the ureter, it blocks the urine flow from that kidney and causes pain.The kidneys are fist-size organs that handle the body’s fluid and chemical levels. Most people have two kidneys, one on each side of the spine behind the liver, stomach, pancreas and intestines. Healthy kidneys clean waste from the blood and remove it in the urine. They control the levels of sodium, potassium and calcium in the blood.
The kidneys, ureters and bladder are part of your urinary
tract*. The urinary tract makes, transports, and stores urine in the body. The kidneys make urine from water and your body’s waste. The urine then travels down the ureters into the bladder, where it is stored. Urine leaves your body through the urethra*.
Kidney stones form in the kidney. Some stones move from the kidney into the ureter. The ureters are tubes leading from the kidneys to the bladder. If a stone leaves the kidney and gets stuck in the ureter, it is called a ureteral stone.

What are the symptoms of kidney stones?
Stones in the kidney often do not cause any symptoms and can go undiagnosed. When a stone leaves the kidney, it travels to the bladder through the ureter. Often the stone can become lodged in the ureter. When the stone blocks the flow of urine out of the kidney, it can cause the kidney to swell (hydronephrosis*), often causing a lot of pain.

Common symptoms of kidney stones are:
• A sharp, cramping pain in the back and side, often moving to the lower abdomen or groin. Some women say the pain is worse than childbirth labor pains. The pain often starts suddenly and comes in waves. It can come and go as the body tries to get rid of the stone.
• A feeling of intense need to urinate.
• Urinating more often or a burning feeling during urination.
• Urine that is dark or red due to blood. Sometimes urine has only small amounts of red blood cells that can’t be seen with the naked eye.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Men may feel pain at the tip of their penis.