Kidney failure: Expert outlines the symptoms of condition
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Kidney stones are hard objects that form from chemicals in your urine. There are numerous types, but they all have similar symptoms, which can be extremely uncomfortable, particularly if kidney stones are left to grow over time.
How are kidney stones caused?
The kidneys are fist-sized organs that handle the body’s fluid and chemical levels.
Most people have two kidneys, one on each side of the spine behind the liver, stomach, pancreas and intestines.
Healthy kidneys clean waste from the blood and remove it from the urine.
They control the levels of sodium, potassium and calcium in the blood.
Calcium stones are the most common types and these are caused by too much calcium in the kidneys.
A number of risk factors make it more likely for you to develop kidney stones.
If you have a low urine volume, this means you are not keeping hydrated enough and the kidney cannot dissolve and process what goes through it, resulting in the formation of kidney stones.
Diet also has a role to play in the formation of kidney stones and diets high in salt have been found to increase the incidence of kidney stones.
Having a diet high in animal protein, such as chicken, beef, fish and pork, can also increase your chances of developing kidney stones.
Other factors that can increase your chances of developing kidney stones include obesity, bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, some medications and supplements, as well as genetic factors.
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What are the symptoms of kidney stones?
According to the NHS, symptoms of kidney stones include:
• pain in the side of your tummy or groin – men may have pain in their testicles
• a high temperature
• feeling sweaty
• severe pain that comes and goes
• feeling sick or vomiting
• blood in your urine
• urine infection
In some cases, a kidney stone can block the ureter, a tube that connects the kidney to the bladder, and can result in a kidney infection.
The symptoms of a kidney infection are similar to symptoms of kidney stones, but may also include:
• a high temperature
• chills and shivering
• feeling very weak or tired
• diarrhea
• cloudy and bad-smelling urine
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