Different Types of Kidney Stones
June 16, 2009
Kidney
Kidney is a bean shaped organ found inside our body and it is meant for purifying the blood. Kidney helps us to get rid of the wastes from our blood and will expel the waste through urine. The urinary tract comprises two bean shaped kidneys, two ureter and a pair of thick walled tube like structures which carries the urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder. Urinary bladder a membranous sac mends for holding the urine and there is a urethra duct through which the urine gets discharged.
The salts and minerals present in our urine get deposited in the kidney and will solidify to form the kidney stones. Men are prone to get kidney stones as compared to women. If the kidney stones are less than 4 mm in size then it may pass through the urine with out creating any harm. If the size increases then it may cause pain.
If the stones have sharp edges then also it will impart reasonable pain and is considered as the most fearful of all pains. At certain point of time the kidney stones will move down and will reach at some other parts of the urinary tract. In this downing process the stones may cause scratches in the urinary tract and may cause infections or blocks.
Depending on their location stones are called by different names and they are
1. Renal calculi is located with in the kidney and is a calculus
2. Nephrolithiasis is a stone in the kidney
3. Urinary calculi is also found in the kidney and is a calculus
4. Urolithiasis is a stone found in the urinary tract
5. Ureterolithiasis is a stone that is seen in ureter
6. Urinary tract stone
Different Types of Kidney Stones
1. Calcium Stones
Calcium stones are the most commonly found kidney stones. Excess calcium present in the urine leads to the formation of calcium stones. This calcium has a tendency to unite with the carbonate, phosphate and oxalate present in the urine and to form the stones. They are sharp or smooth stones with dark brown color. Calcium stones are commonly found in people having problems in small intestine, kidney disorders, excess vitamin D, hyperparathyroidism etc.
2. Uric acid stones
Dehydration is a root cause for the formation of uric acid stones and they are formed from the concentrated uric acid. Uric acid stones are found in light brown color. It is seen in people who have undergone chemotherapy, gout etc.
3. Struvite stone
The surplus magnesium and ammonia resent in the urine leads to the formation of struvite stones. They are large horn like stones and are associated with the urinary infections and hence it is common in women.
4. Cystine stones
Excess of cystine in urine causes the formation of cystine stones. They are yellow colored stones which are crystalline in nature. These stones develop at a younger age and are seen in people having a hereditary disease of cystinuria.
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