This year, half a million Americans will develop kidney stones, and for these people, summer becomes a danger zone. Over one-third of these patients will be hospitalized, and according to the American Foundation for Urologic Disease, seven to ten of every 1,000 hospital admissions are due to kidney stones. Kidney stones are combinations of protein and various minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphate that occur within the kidney or anywhere along the urinary tract. During the summer, people are more active. They sweat more and are relatively dehydrated.
Dehydration is the leading cause of kidney stones.
In general, men outnumber women. Those most at risk are men between the ages of 30 and 50, although sometimes even children can get stones as can men in the much older population. Renal cholic, which is the pain from kidney stones, is among the worst pains anyone will experience. Some people say it's just as bad as childbirth without anesthesia. So pain is a leading sign of kidney stones.