Infections with certain bacteria convert urea (a waste product in your urine) into ammonia this makes your urine alkaline and allows calcium phosphate to crystallise out, so that very large stones can grow, sometimes filling the whole kidney. They are slightly commoner in women becuase of their association with urinary infection. These are also known as “infection” or “triple phosphate” stones (because they are made of calcium, magnesium and ammonium phosphate). This is probably because calcium and oxalate/phosphate are very insoluble when mixed together in urine Calcium stones are usually a mixture of both, but are mostly made from calcium oxalate (the commonest stone overall). There are several types of stone, grouped according to their biochemical composition:Ĭalcium-based stones are the commonest type, and include calcium oxalate stones and calcium phosphate stones. Patients of all ages suffer from stones, but the peak age for a first stone is around the age of 45. Men are affected slightly more often than women, with the risk greater in Caucasians than in other ethnic groups. One in 11 people (9%) will get stone symptoms during their lifetime. They are a "chance" finding in 8% of patients (one in 12) having a CT scan, and have been steadily increasing in incidence since the early 20th century. If this is your first stone episode, you may need to visit your local Accident & Emergency Department for pain relief and imaging this helps to make the diagnosis quickly, and means we can rule out any other cause for your sudden abdominal pain. This helps to decide whether your stone can be left to pass by itself, or whether you need admission to hospital. if you have any of these symptoms, you should arrange an appointment with your GP to see what further tests you may need.Īcute ureteric colic often needs urgent referral so that you can get adequate pain relief (which may require injections) and urgent imaging (usually a CT scan). Similar symptoms can be caused by problems with your back or spine, and other urological or non-urological conditions. The symptoms above are not specific to kidney stones. What should I do if I think I have stones? pain at the tip of your penis or urethra (waterpipe) and.When the stone gets close to your bladder, you may get a constant need to pass urine although there is nothing to pass this is due to the stone irritating the base of your bladder and "fooling" it into thinking that it is full. It usually starts in your loin, and may radiate down to your groin or testicle/labia as the stone moves down (pictured right). This can be very unpleasant, often with nausea and vomiting. When a stone moves down from your kidney into your ureter (the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder), you may get severe pain (known as ureteric colic).
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