What are the first signs of kidney stones?

Posted by Mohd Salman on January 18th, 2018

Kidney stones are hard deposits of salt and minerals made up of calcium or uric acid generally. They develop inside the kidney and can travel to other parts of the urinary tract such as ureters.

Stones may be of different sizes. Some are very small and others can grow to a few inches. Some kidney stones can become so large that they take up the entire kidney hollow space.

A kidney stone develops when minerals in your body accumulate in the urine. If you aren’t hydrated properly, your urine becomes more concentrated with these minerals, and it increases the chances of forming a kidney stone.

According to estimates, about 1 in every 11 people in the United States has a kidney stone. These are more common in men.

Early symptoms of kidney stone
A kidney stone does not cause symptoms generally until it changes its position or passes into your ureter. Ureter is a tube that connects the kidney and bladder.

When these changes occur, you may experience these symptoms of kidney stones:

• Extreme pain in the side and back: Kidney stone pain, also called renal colic, is one of the most severe types of pain. Some people compare it to childbirth or even worse.
• Kidney stone pain that radiates to the lower abdomen and groin
• Pain comes in the form of waves
• Pain while passing urine
• Nausea and vomiting
• Frequent need to urinate: Needing to go to the bathroom frequently is another sign that the stone has moved into the lower part of your urinary tract.
• Changed color of the urine
• Cloudy and smelling urine: Cloudy urine is a sign of pus in the urine. It is called pyuria. The smell can come from the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. An odor may be present due to it being more concentrated than normal.
• Blood in the urine: It is a common symptom in people with stones. This is also called hematuria. The blood can be red, pink, or brown. Sometimes, the blood is not visible by naked eye because the blood cells are too small to see without a microscope. This is called microscopic hematuria. This can be tested and detected in a lab test.
• Fever and chills: Fever and chills are signs that you have an infection in the urinary tract. This can be a serious complication. It can indicate more than kidney stones. If you notice fever with pain, you must seek urgent medical attention.
• Burning sensation during urination: The pain can feel burning. If you don’t know you it is due to a kidney stone, you might mistake it for a urinary tract infection.

When should you meet a doctor?

You must contact a doctor immediately if you notice:

• Severe pain that does not get better in any particular position or if you can't even sit still
• Pain with nausea and vomiting
• Pain with fever and chills
• Blood in your urine
• Difficulty in passing urine
• Unbearable pain
• Any signs of infection

About Author:

Mohd Salman, is a medical professional and is associated with DiseaseFix as a health expert. DiseaseFix develops health information modules for patients and provides a unique platform to allow access of reliable information of a variety of types for disease and health conditions.