Renal Calculi, also known as a kidney stone or Ureteral Calculus, is one of the most painful medical conditions. One of the kidney functions is to eliminate waste and fluid from your blood in order to make urine. At times when your blood has excess waste and insufficient fluid, this waste turns into a solid form by sticking together in the shape of stones inside your kidneys.
Renal calculi or kidney stones are nothing but solid lumps formed of crystals. Though they are generally formed in the kidneys, they can also occur in any place along your urinary tract – kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The causes of kidney stones would differ as per the type of stone.
Around 10-15 percent of all kidney stones are made from struvite. Struvite stones are a kind of firm and hard mineral deposit that can develop in your kidneys.
The different types of kidney stones are calcium, uric acid, struvite, and cystine.
The signs and symptoms of renal calculi or ureteral calculus wouldn’t be visible or experienced until it starts moving in and around the kidney or it starts passing through the tube which connects the kidney and bladder – known as the ureter. If you have a very small kidney stone, you might not even experience any symptoms of renal calculi as it easily passes through your urinary tract. But if the stones are large in size (≥5mm), you might experience these symptoms of renal calculi:
- Having pain on one side of the back or abdomen
- Having foul-smell in your urine
- Getting chills or fever
- Increased frequency of urination
- Passing blood in your urine (brown, red, or pink urine colour)
- Burning sensation during urination
- Pus in the urine
- Vomiting and nausea
- Experiencing pain or a grainy sensation when urinating
Causes of Renal Calculi
Though there can be several factors causing renal calculi, one of the most important causes of kidney stones is the lack of water in your body. People who do not drink sufficient 8-10 glasses of water per day usually have complaints of kidney stones. Insufficient water makes it difficult to dilute the uric acid – an element of urine. Lack of dilution makes the urine more acidic, leading to the formation of renal calculi.
Also, one of the causes of renal calculi could be the lack of substances that prevent crystals from forming a lump.
According to the research conducted by the University of Calcutta, the risk of developing kidney stones varies from about 1-5 per cent in Asia, 5-9 per cent in Europe, 10-15 per cent in the USA, and 20-25 per cent in the Middle East. This risk is mainly due to the lifestyle and dietary habits of these regions. Hence, dietary therapy and auxiliary modes of treatment can prove to be some of the best solutions for reducing the cases of recurrent renal calculi and thereby improving the quality of life.
Risk Factors
Any person is vulnerable to renal calculi but similar to other health disorders, some people are more prone to getting kidney stones compared to others. You might be at a higher risk of getting renal calculi in the below given circumstances.
- Men are more likely to get kidney stones compared to women.
- Being overweight or obesity
- Family history of kidney stone issues
- If you are facing certain medical conditions because of which there could be high levels of cystine, oxalate, uric acid, or calcium in your urine.
- If you regularly eat foods that are high in protein, sodium, or sugar content, you are at a higher risk of getting kidney stones.
- Kidney stones are also a possibility in people who have swelling or irritation in their bowel or joints.
- Medical conditions like urinary tract infections, Crohn’s disease, renal tubular acidosis, hyperthyroidism raises your risk of acquiring kidney stones.
Diagnosis
If your GP is doubtful about you having renal calculi, you would be recommended to undertake certain diagnostic tests or examinations. Some of the tests included in the diagnosis of renal calculi are:
Urine Test
Doctors would suggest the 24-hour urine collection test. This helps in knowing if you are excreting too many stone-causing substances or extremely few kidney stone averting elements. Under this test, you are required to collect two different urine samples over two days.
Blood Test
Blood tests are conducted to help analyze kidney health and examine other health issues (if existing). It helps in letting you know the level of calcium or uric acid in the blood.
Lab Analysis
Under this analysis, you would be required to urinate through a strainer. This will help get hold of stones that you will be passing through. The stones passed are analyzed to check its content and what they’re majorly made of, to help reveal the cause of the kidney stone and take respective precautions.
Imaging Test
From basic abdominal X-rays to CT scans, imaging tests help in viewing even the smallest to the biggest kidney stone. Some of the other imaging tests to detect renal calculi are an ultrasound, intravenous pyelogram, retrograde pyelogram, and MRI scan of kidneys and abdomen.
