Hello my steemit friends.
Welcome to my new post in health series.
If you have missed my recent health topics you can check them here-
-Stress and Hair loss. Are they related?
-A new hope for the patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
-Why Antibiotics Do not Work on Viruses?
-Health# Malaria, The killer of the Tropics

kidney stones source

There is 20% risk that you will develop kidney stone in a lifetime.
It is more common in eastern world than in the western due to dietary habit rich in oxalates
IT is more common in men, females are affected by it mainly due to other underlying infection and metabolic defects.[Source]

How kidney stones are formed?

kidney-stones-GettyImages-487737861-5706b06e3df78c7d9e9dbd47.jpg

Fig. Normal structure of kidney and formation of kidney stones

Normal function of our kidneys is to filter the blood and excrete the metabolic products that are toxic to the body , and another main function is to balance the level different electrolytes in the blood.
But when there is increase in amount of certain chemicals like calcium, uric acid, oxalate, cysteine in the blood and decrease in fluid content the kidneys can not perform their function well. As a result these substances precipitate in the kidneys and crystallize and coalesce to become a stone.
There are different types of renal stones-

calcium stones- most common ones, they account for 80% of the total stones
Struvite stones - made up of calcium-magnesium-phosphates , account for 15% of the total
Uric acid stones - mostly present in people with gout, a condition where production of uric acid is very high, 6% of total
Cystine stones- common in patients of cysteinuria

what does it feels having renal stones?...The symptoms

When you have stones of small sizes lets say 2-3 mm you may not develop any symptoms. But when number of stones increases and the size enlarges it starts to block the urine outflow and also irritates the tubules. The symptoms depend on the site where stone is lodged.

Fig- Different sites for renal stone

Human have 2 kidneys from which 2 tubular ureters arise. These ureters open into the urinary bladder and bladder is continuous with the urethra.

Kidney - when stone is in the kidney you will have pain around the flank region which radiates to back.
Ureter- You will have severe pain around sides of abdomen which is intermittent and increases during micturation.
Bladder- when stone is inside the bladder you will feel pain around the lower abdomen which sometimes radiates to urethra
The pain is associated with - Hematuria(blood in urine which may or may not be visible externally), difficulty in micturation, sometimes nausea and vomiting.

What are the risk factors ?

The main thing predisposing to renal stone is the dietary habbit, common risks are-

Low fluid intake it is the main cause , decrease fluid in blood leads to high concentration of solutes which can precipitate to form stones.
High consumption of meat- Meat contains proteins which increases the level of uric acids
Decrease in citrates- citric acid helps in preventing the formation of stones , when its blood level is low the different solutes crystallize and coalesce to form stone
Obesity - Fatty people have high cahnce of developing renal stones.
Family history of stones, some cases are familial
Preexisting diseases that alter the level of different solutes- hyperparathyroidism, Gout,Cystinuria

How can you prevent it?

Drinking plenty of water- Water decreases the concentration of solutes as well as it helps in flushing out small stones present in kidney and urinary tract. Drink at least 2 litres of water daily.
Decrease meat intake- we have just talked about meat increasing level of uric acid and forming stones, by limiting the meat intake you can decrease the chance of developing renal stones.
Avoid somking and drinking alcohol -These are risk factors for most of the diseases, staying at a distance from them is a wise choice to be healthy.
Exercise - Make a habit of doing daily exercise for at least 30 minutes, it helps keeping the kidneys healthy
eat more of the citrate foods