Kidney Stones - Ayurvedic Treatment

Introduction

Kidney stones are one of the most common and most painful disorder of the urinary tract. The medical term to describe stone occurring in urinary tract is urolithiasis. It is also known as urinary tract stone disease and nephrolithiasis. Kidney stone is a hard crystal mass that builds up inside the kidney. Urine contains chemicals which forms the stones and also prevents the stones. When these chemicals doesn't balance each other the crystal formation occurs. As this clump keeps increasing, it forms a stone. Kidney stone can be tiny or very large as golf balls. Tiny stones can travel down through the urinary tract and pass out of the body with urine without being noticed. While large stone moves into ureter and causes extreme severe pain. Kidney stones are usually yellow or brown in colour.

Cause of Kidney Stones

The common cause of kidney stone is dehydration or imbalance of body fluids which makes the urine concentrated along with chronic urinary tract infections like cystic kidney diseases.

Some medications specially overdose of painkillers and certain metabolic ailments like hyperparathyroidism, hereditary ailments such as renal tubular acidosis, hereditary metabolic diseases like cystinuria and hyperoxaluria.

Certain food may also cause stone formation in the kidney.

Other causes are hyperuricosuria, gout, excess intake of vitamin D and blocked urinary tract.

Symptoms of Kidney Stones

Though most people with kidney stones don't have any symptoms.

Generally the first symptom is sudden severe pain that occurs when urine flow is blocked by stone and when the stone moves in the urinary tract causing irritation.

It is characterized by onset of sharp, cramping pain in the lower back and pelvic area or in the lower abdomen spreading to the groin with nausea, vomiting, Burning sensation, frequent urge of urination, cloudy urine with foul smell, Fever and chills.

Major types of kidney Stones

• Calcium stone : It is the most common type of kidney stones which contains calcium and other oxalate or phosphate. Many stones maybe combination of calcium oxalate and phosphate. High urine concentration of calcium is called hypercalciuria which can lead to stone formation. High levels of oxalate in the urine is called hyperoxaluria can result from genetic defects and from faulty diet.
• Struvite stone : It contains magnesium ammonium phosphate crystals that appears after urinary tract infection. It is a most troublesome kidney stone. It is difficult to remove and may require surgery.
• Uric acid stone : Increased level of urinary uric acid called as hyperuricosuria leads to formation of uric acid stone. At low pH uric acid precipitates and at normal pH it dissolves. The cause of high urinary uric acid can be high protein diet and gout.
• Cystine stone : Cystinuria or abnormal level of urinary cystine can build up in the urine to form a stone since it has poor solubility in urine. Genetically caused disease leads to recurrent stone formation.
• Crixivan stone : Indinavir, an antiretroviral medication used in HIV treatment easily precipitates and forms the crystals. These stones are difficult to detect.
• Ammonium Uric acid stone : It is seen in people with chronic intestinal disorder and frequent laxative users. It is a very rare type of kidney stones.

Diagnosis of Kidney Stones

Most often kidney stones can be detected by x-ray or sonogram or ultrasound. The diagnostic image provides accurate information about stone size and location. Some blood and urine test also helps in detecting abnormal substance which may cause stone formation. Another process is to scan the urinary system using computed tomography or IVP i.e. intravenous pyelogram and CT urography.