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World kidney DAY, 12 MARCH 2015

What are kidney stones?

Kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract.
The medical name for stones in the kidneys is nephrolithiasis.
About 10 percent of people develop a kidney stone at some point in their lives.
Kidney stones are more common in whites than in African-Americans. Kidney stones are more common in men than women.
Obesity, hypertension and diabetes have all been shown to be associated with an increased risk of stone disease.

World kidney DAY, 12 MARCH 2015

What causes kidney stones?

For kidney stones to develop, several factors must be present:

Supersaturation of urine, precipitation of crystals, and then they form kidney stones.

People who are at increased risk of kidney stones are those with

• Excess Calcium in the Urine (Hypercalciuria)

• Excess Oxalate in the Urine (Hyperoxaluria)

• Hyperuricosuria is a condition in which there are high levels of uric acid in urine.

• Low Urine Levels of Citrate (Hypocitraturia)

• Low Urine pH

• Decrease in urine volume

Others at increased risk of kidney stones are people taking certain medications including:

• Acetazolamide

• Antacids

• Vitamin C

• Indinavir

• Acyclovir

• Calcium supplements

• Vitamin D

• Theophylline

• Nifedipine

• ASA

• Probenecid

• Topamax

World kidney DAY, 12 MARCH 2015

What are the symptoms of kidney stones?

The risk of stone recurrence for a first-time stone former is approximately 50 percent within 5 years. Common symptoms of kidney stones include:

• Severe pain or ache in the flank

• Feeling of pain or burning when urinating

• Nausea (feeling sick)

• Needing to urinate more often than normal

• Blood in the urine (hematuria)

World kidney DAY, 12 MARCH 2015

Prognosis

Stone size influences the likelihood of spontaneous stone passage:

• Stones less than 4 mm in diameter pass spontaneously. Stone diameter larger than 4 mm is associated with a progressive decrease in the spontaneous passage rate.

• For stones larger than 10 mm in diameter, the likelihood of spontaneous stone passage decreases.

World kidney DAY, 12 MARCH 2015

Treatment

• Drinking enough fluids each day is the best way to help prevent most types of kidney stones. Health care providers recommend that People who have had a kidney stone should drink enough water and other fluids to produce at least 2 liters of urine a day.

• Some medications have been used to increase the passage rates of kidney stones. These Calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine and alpha blockers such as tamsulosin

• Emergency urology consultation should be obtained for patients with acute kidney failure, anuria, severe pain, nausea and vomiting.

• A procedure or surgery to break up or remove the kidney stones may be needed if they do not pass on their own. Your treatment will depend on the size and location of your kidney stones.

World kidney DAY, 12 MARCH 2015

What can I do to help prevent a kidney stone from developing again?

Medications	Diet and Lifestyle changes	Urinary disorders
Vitamin B-6	• getting enough calcium from food or taking calcium supplements with food • avoiding oxalate-rich foods	Hyperoxaluria (too much oxalate in the urine)
Allopurinol	• Reduce foods with high-purine content	Hyperuricosuria (too little citrate in the urine)
potassium citrate	• Increasing the fruit and vegetable consumption • reducing animal protein	Hypocitraturia (too little citrate in the urine)
	• Increase fluid intake to produce at least 2 liters of urine a day	Low urine volume