A kidney stone is a hard mass developed from crystals that separate from the urine and build up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. If the crystals remain tiny enough, they will travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body in the urine without being noticed. There are four types of kidney stone, but calcium stones are the most common. The exact cause of calcium stone formation is not always clear, but risk factors include: a family history, urinary tract infections (UTIs), dehydration, gout, as well as certain medications.

Symptoms

Usually, the first symptom of a kidney stone is extreme pain. The pain often begins suddenly when a stone moves in the urinary tract, causing irritation or blockage. Typically, a person feels a sharp, cramping pain in the back and side in the area of the kidney or in the lower abdomen. Sometimes nausea and vomiting occur. Later, pain may spread to the groin.

If the stone is too large to pass easily, pain continues as the muscles in the wall of the tiny ureter try to squeeze the stone along into the bladder. As a stone grows or moves, blood may appear in the urine. You may feel the need to urinate more often or feel a burning sensation during urination.

If fever and chills accompany any of these symptoms, a urinary tract infection (usually a result of blockage and stagnation caused by the stone) may be present.

Tests used to confirm the diagnosis include:

  • Urine testing will show the blood in the urine and any evidence of infection.
  • X-rays will show some, but not all, stones.
  • Intra-Venous Pyelogram (IVP) is a special type of x-ray where dye is injected into the person’s veins. This dye concentrates in the urine and shows up on x-ray, which allows doctors to visualise the urinary tract. Stones will be seen as “filling defects” or areas where dye does not flow.

Treatment

  • Calcium stones may be prevented by prescribing certain diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCT). These drugs decrease the amount of calcium released by the kidneys into the urine.
  • Uric acid stones, due to gout, may be prevented by using allopurinol (Zyloprim), which decreases uric acid production.
  • Struvite stones are avoided by preventing infection, which may require long-term antibiotic treatment.

Treatment of an attack: Most kidney stones can pass through the urinary system with plenty of water. Patients simply drink fluids and take pain medication as needed. The doctor usually asks for the passed stone(s) for testing.

Surgical Treatment: Surgery should be reserved as an option for cases where other approaches have failed. Surgery may be needed to remove a kidney stone if it:

  • Does not pass after a reasonable period of time and causes constant pain
  • Is too large to pass on its own or is caught in a difficult place
  • Blocks the flow of urine
  • Causes ongoing urinary tract infection
  • Damages kidney tissue or causes constant bleeding
  • Has grown larger (as seen on follow-up x-ray studies)

A simple and most important lifestyle change to prevent stones is to drink more liquids. If you tend to form stones, you should drink 1-2 litres of water a day.

Are you eating too much salt?

Eating more than 6g of salt per day increases your risk of high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and osteoporosis. While surveys show that some people are very concerned or quite concerned about their salt intake, most don’t know which of the daily foods contribute most salt to their diets.

Pay closer attention to the salt levels in the foods you are buying by reading labels. Often sodium content is listed instead of salt so look out for this as there is a 2.5x difference in the amount listed.

A high salt content is anything more than 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium per 100g). Low salt content is anything below 0.3g salt per 100g (or 0.1g sodium per 100g). Pay particular attention to the following types of foods which are often high in salt:

  • Cured or smoked meats such as ham, salami or bacon
  • Marinades
  • Stock cubes or gravy powders
  • Olives
  • Pickles
  • Cheese
  • Bread products
  • Ready-made meals
  • Condiments like tomato sauce or mayonnaise
  • Breakfast cereal

For many, summer is braai season. Research, however, suggests that we should be a little more wary of what we throw on the grill.

According to recent research, a typical braai meal – consisting of a hotdog with mustard, a burger with cheese and BBQ sauce, a piece of marinated meat, a helping of coleslaw and potato salad and plain chips with dips – could contain as much as 12.11g of salt. This is more than twice the recommended maximum of 6g per day for an adult.

Written by LifeAssist