What should we know about kidney stones?
- Kidney stones are concretions formed by different mineral salts, which originate in the kidney or urinary tract.
- It can affect up to 15% of the population
- Its cause is multifactorial and its risk increases in the presence of factors related to urine composition
- Calcium stones account for 75-80% of cases
- It may be an expression of extrarenal diseases
- The classic symptoms are pain, discomfort when urinating, and reddish urine. It can present as renal colic (sharp pain, nausea, vomiting, sweating, coldness), or asymptomatic periods.
- The stone can become complicated by an obstructive process, associated with renal colic or infectious processes, and be a risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease.
- Overall mortality from kidney stones is rare, but it can lead to permanent kidney damage, accounting for 1-2% of dialysis cases.
- Treatment should be aimed at preventing recurrence.
- The medical recommendation is to recognize the factors that cause kidney stones, establish general measures such as increasing water consumption, decreasing salt intake, avoiding a diet high in protein from meats and seafood, weight control, and ensuring a daily calcium intake of 1 g (low calcium intake can promote the formation of stones). It is also important to establish healthy lifestyle habits and avoid holding urine for long periods of time and repeatedly, as this promotes urinary tract infections and urinary stasis, increasing the risk of stone formation. These measures generally prevent recurrences in uncomplicated cases.
- In complicated cases, multiple stones or relapses, pharmacological medical treatment is indicated according to the etiological diagnosis, presence of risk factors, concomitant diseases.
- Interventional therapies may be required for stone removal; these current urological practices (lithotripsy, endoscopic surgery) are safe.
If you have any questions or would like to express an opinion, please write it in the comments; your opinion is very important.
Dr. Lucia M. Gonçalves Jardim
Internal Medicine Physician.
Specialist in Endocrinology and Metabolism
Email: luciamgoncalvesj@gmail.com
Telephone: +351 939 056 458