Why do Kidney Stones occur?

Kidney Stones
Do you experience pain in lower back and sides of your back? It could be due presence of stones in your kidneys. Kidney stones are formed due to deposition of dissolved minerals in the inner lining of your kidneys.

Most kidney stones are made up of calcium oxalate. They also vary in size, shape and color, such as ranging from a size of golf ball to a small crystal. Kidney stones usually have a sharp, crystalline structure.

Kidney Stone Symptoms
Kidney stones do not produce any symptoms until it starts moving in your ureter. Once the stones start moving, they cause extreme discomfort and create huge trouble for the patient. Some important kidney stone symptoms are as follows:

• Severe pain in the groin and/or side of your back
• Presence of blood in your urine
• Vomiting and nausea
• Presence of white blood cells or pus in the urine
• You may excrete reduced amount of urine
• You may experience burning sensation while urination
• You may have a persistent urge to urinate
• If an infection occurs, you may experience fever and chills 

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Sometimes, stones can occur in your gallbladder. Gallbladder stones can also cause pain. A kidney stone is a solid mass made up of small crystals from the minerals such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid. Gallstones are hard, pebble-like cholesterol or pigment deposits that develop inside your gallbladder. People who have had a kidney stone are thought to have an increased risk of gallstones. The pain of each type of stone can be identified differently because of the different location of kidneys and gallbladder location and due to the nature of the stones which can cause different types of pain.

Causes of Kidney Stones
In most cases, kidney stones are formed due to a decrease in urine volume or due to deposition of excessive amount of stone-forming substances in your urine. A majority of kidney stones are made up of calcium in combination with oxalate or phosphate, which are commonly known as calcium stones. Several compounds are also responsible for the formation of kidney stones such as uric acid, magnesium ammonium phosphate (referred as struvite stones) and amino acid cysteine.

Dehydration mainly occurs when you reduce your fluid intake or practice certain strenuous exercises without adequate fluid replacement. These situations increase the risk of kidney stones. If the flow of urine is obstructed, the chance of stone formation also increases. Certain climatic changes also increase the risk of kidney stone development, such as residents of hot and dry areas are more susceptible to become dehydrated and are vulnerable for kidney stone formation.

Infections can also lead to kidney stone formation in the urinary tract. These stones are known as struvite or infectious stones. Metabolic abnormalities can alter the composition of your urine and thereby increase the risk of stone formation in your kidneys.

Risk Factors for Kidney stones
One of the greatest risk factor which increases the tendency of kidney stones development is due to production of less than one liter of urine per day. This is the reason why, premature infants suffering from kidney problems, may develop kidney stones in near future. However, kidney stones are likely to occur in people who are 20-50 years old.

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The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) indicate that men are at a greater risk of developing kidney stones, than women.

A family history of kidney stones also increases its tendency of occurrence in their future generations. Other risk factors include:

• Obesity
• People consuming a diet rich in protein, salt or glucose
• If you suffer from hyper-parathyroid
• If you had a gastric bypass surgery
• If you suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which increases calcium absorption in the body
• If you consume certain medications such as diuretics, antiseizure drugs and calcium-based antacids