Question: Who is at risk for Kidney Stones in Adults? ?
Answer: Anyone can get a kidney stone, but some people are more likely to get one. Men are affected more often than women, and kidney stones are more common in non-Hispanic white people than in non-Hispanic black people and Mexican Americans. Overweight and obese people are more likely to get a kidney stone than people of normal weight. In the United States, 8.8 percent of the population, or one in 11 people, have had a kidney stone.2
Source: NIDDK

Question: What are the symptoms of Kidney Stones in Adults ?
Answer: People with kidney stones may have pain while urinating, see blood in the urine, or feel a sharp pain in the back or lower abdomen. The pain may last for a short or long time. People may experience nausea and vomiting with the pain. However, people who have small stones that pass easily through the urinary tract may not have symptoms at all.
Source: NIDDK

Question: How to diagnose Kidney Stones in Adults ?
Answer: To diagnose kidney stones, the health care provider will perform a physical exam and take a medical history. The medical history may include questions about family history of kidney stones, diet, GI problems, and other diseases and disorders. The health care provider may perform urine, blood, and imaging tests, such as an x ray or computerized tomography (CT) scan to complete the diagnosis. - Urinalysis. Urinalysis is testing of a urine sample. The urine sample is collected in a special container in a health care providers office or commercial facility and can be tested in the same location or sent to a lab for analysis. Urinalysis can show whether the person has an infection or the urine contains substances that form stones. - Blood test. A blood test involves drawing blood at a health care providers office or commercial facility and sending the sample to a lab for analysis. The blood test can show biochemical problems that can lead to kidney stones. - Abdominal x ray. An abdominal x ray is a picture created using radiation and recorded on film or on a computer. The amount of radiation used is small. An x ray is performed at a hospital or outpatient center by an x-ray technician, and the images are interpreted by a radiologista doctor who specializes in medical imaging. Anesthesia is not needed. The person will lie on a table or stand during the x ray. The x-ray machine is positioned over the abdominal area. The person will hold his or her breath as the picture is taken so that the picture will not be blurry. The person may be asked to change position for additional pictures. The x rays can show the location of stones in the kidney or urinary tract. - CT scans. CT scans use a combination of x rays and computer technology to create three-dimensional (3-D) images. A CT scan may include the injection of a special dye, called contrast medium. CT scans require the person to lie on a table that slides into a tunnel-shaped device where the x rays are taken. The procedure is performed in an outpatient center or hospital by an x-ray technician, and the images are interpreted by a radiologist. Anesthesia is not needed. CT scans can show stone locations and conditions that may have caused the stone to form.
Source: NIDDK

Question: What are the treatments for Kidney Stones in Adults ?
Answer: Treatment for kidney stones usually depends on their size and what they are made of, as well as whether they are causing pain or obstructing the urinary tract. Kidney stones may be treated by a general practitioner or by a urologista doctor who specializes in the urinary tract. Small stones usually pass through the urinary tract without treatment. Still, the person may need pain medication and should drink lots of fluids to help move the stone along. Pain control may consist of oral or intravenous (IV) medication, depending on the duration and severity of the pain. IV fluids may be needed if the person becomes dehydrated from vomiting or an inability to drink. A person with a larger stone, or one that blocks urine flow and causes great pain, may need more urgent treatment, such as - Shock wave lithotripsy. A machine called a lithotripter is used to crush the kidney stone. The procedure is performed by a urologist on an outpatient basis and anesthesia is used. In shock wave lithotripsy, the person lies on a table or, less commonly, in a tub of water above the lithotripter. The lithotripter generates shock waves that pass through the persons body to break the kidney stone into smaller pieces to pass more readily through the urinary tract. - Ureteroscopy. A ureteroscopea long, tubelike instrument with an eyepieceis used to find and retrieve the stone with a small basket or to break the stone up with laser energy. The procedure is performed by a urologist in a hospital with anesthesia. The urologist inserts the ureteroscope into the persons urethra and slides the scope through the bladder and into the ureter. The urologist removes the stone or, if the stone is large, uses a flexible fiber attached to a laser generator to break the stone into smaller pieces that can pass out of the body in the urine. The person usually goes home the same day. - Percutaneous nephrolithotomy. In this procedure, a wire-thin viewing instrument called a nephroscope is used to locate and remove the stone. The procedure is performed by a urologist in a hospital with anesthesia. During the procedure, a tube is inserted directly into the kidney through a small incision in the persons back. For large stones, an ultrasonic probe that acts as a lithotripter may be needed to deliver shock waves that break the stone into small pieces that can be removed more easily. The person may have to stay in the hospital for several days after the procedure and may have a small tube called a nephrostomy tube inserted through the skin into the kidney. The nephrostomy tube drains urine and any residual stone fragments from the kidney into a urine collection bag. The tube is usually left in the kidney for 2 or 3 days while the person remains in the hospital.
Source: NIDDK

Question: How to prevent Kidney Stones in Adults ?
Answer: The first step in preventing kidney stones is to understand what is causing the stones to form. The health care provider may ask the person to try to catch the kidney stone as it passes, so it can be sent to a lab for analysis. Stones that are retrieved surgically can also be sent to a lab for analysis. The health care provider may ask the person to collect urine for 24 hours after a stone has passed or been removed to measure daily urine volume and mineral levels. Producing too little urine or having a mineral abnormality can make a person more likely to form stones. Kidney stones may be prevented through changes in eating, diet, and nutrition and medications. Eating, Diet, and Nutrition People can help prevent kidney stones by making changes in their fluid intake. Depending on the type of kidney stone a person has, changes in the amounts of sodium, animal protein, calcium, and oxalate consumed can also help. Drinking enough fluids each day is the best way to help prevent most types of kidney stones. Health care providers recommend that a person drink 2 to 3 liters of fluid a day. People with cystine stones may need to drink even more. Though water is best, other fluids may also help prevent kidney stones, such as orange juice or lemonade. Talk with your health care provider if you cant drink the recommended amount due to other health problems, such as urinary incontinence, urinary frequency, or kidney failure. Recommendations based on the specific type of kidney stone include the following: Calcium Oxalate Stones - reducing sodium - reducing animal protein, such as meat, eggs, and fish - getting enough calcium from food or taking calcium supplements with food - avoiding foods high in oxalate, such as spinach, rhubarb, nuts, and wheat bran Calcium Phosphate Stones - reducing sodium - reducing animal protein - getting enough calcium from food or taking calcium supplements with food Uric Acid Stones - limiting animal protein More information about how changes in diet affect kidney stone formation is provided in the NIDDK health topic, Diet for Kidney Stone Prevention. Medications The health care provider may prescribe certain medications to help prevent kidney stones based on the type of stone formed or conditions that make a person more prone to form stones: - hyperuricosuriaallopurinol (Zyloprim), which decreases uric acid in the blood and urine - hypercalciuriadiuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide - hyperoxaluriapotassium citrate to raise the citrate and pH of urine - uric acid stonesallopurinol and potassium citrate - cystine stonesmercaptopropionyl glycine, which decreases cystine in the urine, and potassium citrate - struvite stonesantibiotics, which are bacteria-fighting medications, when needed to treat infections, or acetohydroxamic acid with long-term antibiotic medications to prevent infection People with hyperparathyroidism sometimes develop calcium stones. Treatment in these cases is usually surgery to remove the parathyroid glands. In most cases, only one of the glands is enlarged. Removing the glands cures hyperparathyroidism and prevents kidney stones.
Source: NIDDK

Question: What to do for Kidney Stones in Adults ?
Answer: - A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in a kidney when substances that are normally found in the urine become highly concentrated. - Kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. - Certain foods may promote stone formation in people who are susceptible, but scientists do not believe that eating any specific food causes stones to form in people who are not susceptible. - People with kidney stones may have pain while urinating, see blood in the urine, or feel a sharp pain in the back or lower abdomen. However, people who have small stones that pass easily through the urinary tract may not have symptoms at all. - To diagnose kidney stones, the health care provider will perform a physical exam and take a medical history. The health care provider may perform urine, blood, and imaging tests to complete the diagnosis. - Treatment for kidney stones usually depends on their size and what they are made of, as well as whether they are causing pain or obstructing the urinary tract. Treatments may include shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy, or percutaneous nephrolithotomy. - Kidney stones may be prevented through changes in eating, diet, and nutrition and medications.
Source: NIDDK