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Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: kidney stones + kidney stone + kidney  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Kidney stones no laughing matter Berkeley Independent, SC - Many may not realize that dehydration can cause kidney stones and further, that South Carolina is one of five southern states with our nation?s highest ... Herbs can cure renal stones Newindpress, India - Kidney malfunctioning, renal stones, stones in the ureter and urinary bladder stones can be rectified with the help of natural and pure herbs. ... Los Angeles Times Check your horoscope. Anything about kidney stones? Los Angeles Times, CA - Jul 30, 2008 And the good folks at UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Dallas used studies of kidney stone rates across geographic regions, plus models of global ... ABC News Kidney Stones Canada.com, Canada - Jul 15, 2008 A kidney stone is formed when a small speck of mineral settles out of the urine into the kidney or the ureter, a tube that links the kidney to the bladder. ... Study: global warming may increase kidney stones Seattle Times Global warming to spark rise in kidney stone cases, study says Chicago Tribune Comment by Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH Professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison Hindu - Science Daily (press release) all 191 news articles » Review doubts value of breast exams American Medical News (subscription) - Aug 3, 2008 Global warming is likely to increase the proportion of the population affected by kidney stones by expanding the area of the nation most affected by the ... Jamaica Gleaner Those painful kidney stones - Response to reader's question Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - Jul 29, 2008 I went to the doctor and was told I had kidney stones. I am 24 years old. He gave me nothing and I am feeling more pain. Can you tell me of home remedies I ... Iced Teas Pose High Risk of Kidney Stones U.S. News & World Report, DC - Jul 25, 2008 FRIDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- Men over 40 may want to avoid iced tea and start hitting the lemonade if they wish to lower their risk of kidney stones, ... 'NHS is leaving patients to die' Oxford Mail, UK - Aug 3, 2008 By Andrew Ffrench Kidney cancer patient Clive Stone has begged Health Secretary Alan Johnson to step in and halt the 'postcode lottery' over a ... Climate change could mean more kidney stone cases Baltimore Sun, United States - Jul 17, 2008 Linking climate change to kidney stones seems odd, but it's based on the solid medical finding that people in warm regions develop the condition at ... 5 Summertime Tips to Prevent Kidney Stones U.S. News & World Report, DC - Jul 15, 2008 Here's how to protect yourself By Adam Voiland Summer heat, sweat, and dehydration have always been a perfect recipe for kidney stones. ...

Kidney Stones

About one person out of every 1,000 adults goes into the hospital in the United States because of kidney stones. These can be too tiny to see with the eye alone to more than an inch across.

Kidney stones can be made up of:

• Calcium, which accounts for nearly four out of every five kidney stones
• Uric acid, which is when there is more acidic acid in the urine
• Cystine, which are formed by cystinuria
  
• Magnesium ammonium phosphate, also called struvite. This is a sign of bacteria It must be treated as an infection. This type occurs mostly in women.

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Many kidney stones cause no symptoms at all. When kidney stones do cause symptoms they usually include:

• Pain. A person may feel pain across the back or pain that starts in the back or kidney area. The pain goes along the line of the vessel that carries urine from the kidneys to the outside of the body. A person may also feel pain in the genital region and inner thigh. This pain is typically very severe and comes and goes. Stones in the bladder may cause pain in the pubic region.
  
• Bleeding
• A block in the urinary system
• Infections
• Nausea, vomiting, a bloated stomach may disguise what is actually kidney stones
• Chills, fever, hematuria and a need to go to the bathroom often may also be experienced. This happens especially if the stones are moving down the ureter.
  
• The affected kidney may stop working for a while because of a stone, even after it has passed out the body by itself.
  

Kidney stones develop when the urine is supersaturated with salts that can form into stones. This includes overexcretion of salt, having acid urine or having a low volume of urine.

A tendency to develop kidney stones tends to run in some families. It is the primary risk factor for developing kidney stones of calcium.

Kidney stones can develop as a result of:

• Hypercalciuria
• Hypocitruria
• Hyperoxaluria, which can be caused by eating too many foods that contain oxalate. This includes rhubarb, spinach, cocoa, nuts, pepper or tea. Absorbing too much oxalate into the body as a result of various enteric diseases including chronic pancreatic or biliary disease or ileojejunal surgery can also cause it.
  
• Hyperuricosuria, which is almost always a result of eating too much purine. Purine is is found in meat, fish and poultry.
  

In rare cases, the kidney stones may be a result of hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, multiple Myeloma, sarcoidosis, vitamin D intoxication, cancer that has spread or hyperoxaluria.

To diagnose kidney stones, a doctor will usually:

• Examine the person and get a medical history
• Rule out conditions such as appendicitis, cholecystitis, ulcers, pancreatitis, ectopic pregnancy or a dissecting aneurysm
  
• Review the food the patient has been eating to check for risk factors such as a high protein diet or a habit of taking vitamin C or D supplements
  
• Do a blood test to check the calcium levels in the blood
  
• Check for signs of any kidney abnormality
• Do a urinalysis
  
• Do an X-ray, which will show the presence of most kidney stones. However, some types of stones can't be seen on an X-ray.
  
• Check for Pyramidal Ca deposits, which can also indicate a number of health conditions. Ultrasound may also be helpful.
  
• Retrograde urography or IVU may show blockages.
  
• Computed tomography (CT) scans are useful in the emergency room evaluation of severe pain to help detect a calculus, the degree of blockage, or another cause of the pain (e.g., aortic aneurysm, appendicitis).
  

Once a person has had one kidney stone, he or she is at greater risk of forming others in the future. Specific treatments will depend on the person's medical history and measurement of the stone-producing substances in the urine.

Options for reducing the likelihood of kidney stones may include:

• Increasing the amount of fluids the person takes
• Taking diuretic drugs to speed up the excretion of urine
• Depending on the cause of the stones, the person's diet may be changed to eliminate foods that can cause kidney stones to develop.
  
• Drugs may be prescribed to reduce the risk
  

Treating existing kidney stones varies from taking no action to minimally invasive procedures to surgery. No action may be needed if the stones are small, there's no infection and the urinary system has no blockages.

Treatment options include:

• Treating an infection if that is the cause of the stones
• Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) for stones that are less than two centimeters across
  
• Minimally invasive surgery to remove larger stones in the kidneys or ureter
• Intracorporeal lithotripsy to break up the stones
  
• Prescription drugs to dissolve uric acid stones