Kidney Stones
By Bjarne Lühr Hansen PhD, MD and Philipp Skafte-Holm MD, Mentor Institute
Kidney stones is a common illness that appears as pains in the loin, the side or in the bottom of the stomach. The pain is very strong and can cause nausea and vomiting. If you have an attack of kidney stone and have a fever at the same time, you must call the doctor immediately.
Kidney stones is a very common illness, more common than for example gallstone and appendicitis. The illness occurs three times as often with men than with women. Almost one out of every five men in Denmark is struck with kidney stones at some point in their life. Kidney stones are seen most often between 30 to 40 years of ages but occurs in all ages.
Kidney stones consist of chalk and other salts found in the urine. Under certain conditions, chalk and the salts are gathered and settle like stones. Kidney stones can be located in the renal pelvis, the ureter, the urine bladder or the urinary tract.
First, kidney stones appears as pain. Where the pain is located depends on where the kidney stone is located. If the kidney stone is located in the renal pelvis, the pain is located in the loin or the side. If the kidney stone is in the ureter, the pain is felt in the bottom of the stomach and radiate down into the scrotum or labia. Kidney stone in the bladder appears as a sudden stop of urination because the stone shuts off the urine. When the kidney stone enters the urinary tract, the pain is located in the penis or vagina.
The pain associated with kidney stone has a rapid onset, is very strong and prolonged. The pain lasts from half an hour to a few hours but in rare cases it can, however, last both half a day or 24 hours.
Together with the pain, there is often nausea and vomiting. If you have an attack of kidney stones, you are agonised and uneasy. Many people perform gyrations, hoping to find a position that can relieve the pain. Some times – but not that often – you can spot blood in the urine with the naked eye.
Kidney stone can prevent the passing of urine from the kidney and outward. Therefore, urine is accumulated above the kidney stone. If this goes on for more than 2 weeks the kidney is damaged because the urine presses the kidney. Luckily, most kidney stones are so small that they are flushed out with the urine. When the stone has exited the body, you are cured – this time around. That is to say, it appears that once you have had kidney stone, there is a great risk that you will have another later on.
A feared complication to kidney stones is inflammation in the urine. If this happens, you have a high fever and chills apart from the already mentioned pains caused by the kidney stone. The inflammation poses a risk of damage to the kidneys.