Kidney Stones Cause

What Causes Kidney Stones?

Understanding What Causes Kidney Stones

To understand what causes kidney stones, let us see how they are formed in the first place.

How do kidney stones form?

Your kidneys are part of the urinary tract or system which acts to flush out the waste

products of your body in the form of urine.

Kidneys remove extra water and wastes from your blood.

The extra water and wastes become urine which passes through tubes called reters to the bladder.

The bladder stores the urine until you go to the bathroom. When kidneys separate the waste products from your body, these wastes are usually dissolved by the urine fluid.

But sometimes they form crystals which remain in the inside of kidney. Over time these crystals may gather to become a hard stone-like lump. This hardening is what causesthe kidney stones.

Most of the time these crystal-like kidney stones will flow out with the urine and you won’t be aware of their presence in your body.

But sometimes these crystals accumulate to become a large stone which could block part of the urinary system such as ureter or the urethra.

When this happens you experience severe pain in your abdomen or groin. It is at this point of time when most people usually become aware that they have a kidney stone problem. In fact pain is one of the main kidney stone symptoms.

Having kidney stones is a fairly common condition in males and females though it is observed that more men than women suffer from this ailment. It is also believed that certain factors contribute to formation of kidney stones, but it is also a fact that what causes kidney stones in some may not do the same in others.

Why is it that some people suffer from kidney stones while many other don’t?

Doctors may not always have the answer to this question. While it is thought that certain foods could promote the stone build up in your kidney, only those people who are susceptible to kidney stones could possibly be affected by them.

Possible Contributing Factors

• Heredity
  It is believed that a person with a family history of kidney stones is more likely developthem than those whose family members were free of this condition.Certain hereditary diseaseslike renal tubular acidosis could be what causes of kidney stones formation. So it could besaid that heredity could perhaps be one of the factors of what causes kidney stones.

• Disorders
  In addition, urinary tract infections, kidney disorders like cystic kidney diseasesand metabolic disorders such as hyperparathyroidism could play a role in building up ofkidney stones in your body.Moreover, if you once had kidney stones and got them removed bytreatment, it is likely that you could develop them again.

Types of Kidney Stones And Their Causes:

There are four main types of kidney stones known to medical science.

1. Calcium oxalate (Calcium kidney stone):
   This is the most common type of kidney stone.It contains calcium which is a normal of part ofour diet.Calcium which is not used by the body to build up bones and muscles goes to thekidney for disposal.Normally the kidneys flush this un-used calcium with urine. But when thisdoesn’t happen with some people, calcium joins with other waste products to form this type of kidney stone.
2. Struvite stone:
   An infection in the urinary system could cause this type of kidney stone. A struvite stonehave mineral magnesium and the ammonia waste product.
3. Uric acid stone:
   When your urine has too much acid, you are likely to have this type of kidney stone. A cutback in the meat you eat is usually advised in this condition.
4. Cystine stone:
   This one is rare. Cystine helps in building up muscles, nerves, and other parts of thebody.But cystine also could help form a kidney stone in your urinary system.The disorder thatcauses cystine stones runs in families. In other words this is a hereditary disease.

As all these kidney stone type are formed by different substances, they require different

types of medications and dietary control. This is the reason why doctors need to find out

what type of kidney stone you have before prescribing a course of action.

So What Causes Kidney Stones?

As seen above, there are various types of kidney stones with different causes. So it is for a

doctor to find out what causes kidney stones in a particular person and prescribe appropriate

course of treatment.

This means that if you have symptoms of kidney stones for instance sudden pain in abdomen or

sides or pain in passing urine it is advisable to seek the advice of your physician without

delay.

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