There are many factors that contribute to kidney stones, they’re usually within your control. Eating the right diet is one of the most reliable ways to prevent kidney stones. Kidney stones can be painful, but an experienced and caring medical team can help you manage them and prevent future incidents. The lifetime risk of kidney stones is higher in men than women, but there has been an overall increase of cases across the world. What causes kidney stones? Though your urine normally contains some solid waste materials, there’s usually enough liquid to dilute them, so you can pass them easily. However, if your urine contains too high a proportion of crystal-forming materials, like minerals and salts they may clump together and form kidney stones. Calcium stones are the most common of kidney stones, but there are also struvite, uric acid and cystine stones. This results in the painful, burning sensation that often signals you have a kidney stone. It can also mean darker, cloudy, or foul smelling urine, pain in the lower abdomen and groin, and nausea and vomiting. Many factors can contribute to getting kidney stones, including dehydration, family history, obesity, medical conditions (urinary tract infection, cystinuria, renal tubular acidosis), overuse of various supplements and medications (vitamin C, laxatives, calcium-based antacids, medications for depression and migraines), and diet.
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