Kidney Stones
A kidney stone is a pebble-like mineral mass formed in your kidney that causes you great pain when the small solid travels down through the ureter and bladder. Fundamentally, these stones are build-ups of certain chemicals in your body, such as calcium, uric acid, cystine, phosphate, and oxalate. When your kidney fails to dilute and remove these crystal-forming substances through urine, these substances stick together and form a kidney stone.
There are four types of kidney stones, and understanding each kidney stone helps you seek proper treatment accordingly. [3]
Calcium oxalate stones – According to a report published on the NCBI, calcium oxalate stones are the most common type of kidney stone, with approximately 80% of the total cases globally. A high intake of certain foods such as nuts, chocolate, Vitamin D, etc., can contribute to the calcium oxalate stones formation.
Struvite stones – Struvite stones are the result of bacterial infection in the upper urinary tract that makes up about 9% of the total cases globally. The bacteria produce urease that breaks urea to ammonium, rising urine PH to neutral or alkaline values. In such an environment, struvite stones come into being.
Uric acid stones – Around nine percent of people with kidney stones have uric acid stones in the world. The condition is often triggered by a genetic disorder, inadequate diet, or underlying diseases like chronic diarrhea, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
Cystine stones – Cystine stones are the least common type of kidney stone that accounts for only 1% of the total cases. The condition often happens in people with cystinuria, an inherited disease that causes excessive undissolved cystine appearing in the urine.
