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Preventing Kidney Stones, Made Easy!

By Dr. Waheed Zaman in Urology , Kidney Transplant

Sep 12 , 2017 | 3 min read

Everyone knows someone who has or had kidney stones at some point in his or her life. Kidney stones are highly prevalent in India, with over 1 million cases per year. Just because they are common, doesn’t mean people have to get them. Sure, they can be treated, but when it comes to diseases, prevention is always better than cure.

What are Kidney Stones?

Kidney Stones are hard deposits of minerals and salts that form inside the kidneys and may eventually travel down the urinary tract. They can have many causes and may affect the entire urinary tract – from your bladder to the kidneys. Ranging from just a small crumb to as large as a ping pong ball, Kidney Stones if not remedied in time can prove to have fatal consequences. If you already have kidney stones, then don’t wait it out and see the best kidney stones hospital in India to treat yourself well in time.

Know About gallbladder stones and prevent yourself. 

How are Kidney Stones formed?

Often the stones form when urine becomes concentrated, allowing minerals to crystallise and deposit together. Several things can cause them, including some kidney infections. The high value of certain minerals in the system can also cause Kidney Stones to form.

Genes also play a critical role in the formation of Kidney Stones, and of all the people who get kidney stones, around 40% have a family history of them. Bodies of such people might create more than usual calcium or too less of citrate.

Other factors that can cause Kidney Stones are obesity, surgery such as gastric bypass surgery or intestinal surgery, and disease like polycystic kidney disease.

What are the Signs and Symptoms?

Pain is the primary symptom of Kidney Stones; it may come and go suddenly. It is usually radiating pain from flank to down. The other symptoms that may suspect presence of kidney stones are –

  • Fever
  • Nausea
  • Blood in urine
  • Abnormal urine colour
  • Abdominal pain
  • Vomiting

How to Prevent Kidney Stones?

Preventing Kidney Stones is easy and to an extent can be done with just some alteration in your current diet. These measures can help you in the long run.

Increase Water Intake

Staying hydrated is essential for numerous purposes and preventing kidney stones is just one of them. Alternatively, you can start including orange juice and lemonade in your diet, since they both contain citrate and impede the formation of stones. The aim is to drink at least enough fluid to be able to pass two litres of urine. If you exercise or have a history of cystine stones, you will need additional fluids.

You can tell if you are hydrated or not by looking at the colour of your urine. If your urine is clear, your body is hydrated. If you do not drink enough water, your urine output will be low and have a yellower colour which means that your urine is more concentrated and contains more urine salts than usual. Concentrated urine is one of the leading causes of kidney stones.

Increase Calcium Intake

Yes, it is true that a very high calcium intake can increase the chances of kidney stones. However, the opposite is also true. Calcium oxalate stone is the most common type of kidney stone which makes people think that they should avoid calcium. Low-calcium diet increases the risk of kidney stones. Include foods such as low-fat milk, cheese and yoghurt in your diet to increase your calcium intake.

Decrease Sodium Intake

A high-salt diet heightens your risk of calcium kidney stones. Having too much salt in urine prevents calcium from being reabsorbed from the urine to the blood. This can lead to high calcium content in the urine, which may lead to kidney stones.

Decrease Animal Protein Intake

Foods that are high in animal protein are acidic and may increase uric acid production, resulting in the formation of both calcium oxalate and uric acid kidney stones. Limit the intake of red meat, poultry, fish and pork.

Decrease Soft Drink Intake

In addition to having high sugar content, soft drinks such as colas have a high phosphorous content which often leads to the formation of kidney stones.

If you already have kidney stones, then don’t wait it out and get yourself treated immediately. As one of the best kidney hospitals in India, specialists at Max Healthcare are equipped to treat all kinds of kidney stones. Depending on the type of stone, doctors usually prescribe a medicine that helps break down the stone further. If the stone is large enough to be passed down naturally or is causing uncontrollable pain, then surgery may be required to remove such kidney stones.

In Max Healthcare, we have got all modern facilities of international level to manage your stone disease.

Checkout the Dietary Guidelines to Prevent Kidney Stone