What are the Symptoms of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are the contributory factor of one of the most pathetic painful conditions of our body. Only an ill-fated person who had suffered from this excruciating pain can tell you about the sufferings. The existence of kidney stone was identified by the practitioners of traditional medicines for centuries. It was mentioned in some of the most ancient books of medicines written by Indian herbal medicine practitioners. The pain in the abdomen is so agonizing that it can bring your morality down to zero and keep you locked inside a room all alone. Kidney stone is a common disease, mostly occurs among males who heavily depend upon high protein diet. According to a recent survey, 1 in 20 people in the United States is suffering from kidney stones at some part of their life.

To tell you the truth, kidney stones do not cause any acute symptoms. Sounds crazy? But actually this is true. Kidney stones occur in the pelvis of the kidney. It is the base of the kidney where the ureter is formed which carries urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder. Problem starts appearing when a tiny part of this stone, medically termed as renal calculus, breaks and drops down through to the ureter. This small piece of stone partially or completely blocks the passage of urine and causes this kind of severe pain. Small stone, less than 3 mm in diameter, does not cause any symptom because there is enough space for free flow of urine.

The common symptoms of kidney stones are:

Pain – there is excruciating pain in the lower part of the abdomen, flanks, lower part of the backside, groin or in the genitalia. The pain is cramping in nature. Changes in the posture of the body will not offer any help from the painful condition. There is a brief episode of pain free state and again it starts. This is due to the effort by the muscular part of the ureter to move the stone further down in the urinary bladder. The area of pain depends upon where the stone is lodged inside the ureter. If it is up in the ureter or in the middle, the patient may suffer from central abdominal pain. Typically, the patient will complain of pain in the lower abdomen, which shifts from loin to groin. This is the gold standard clinical finding by the doctors. A small ureteric stone can cause more pain than a larger stone if it gets stuck with the musculature of the ureteric wall. The chance of inflammation is much higher and so the severity of symptoms.

Generally, the pain is sudden in onset with vague history of lower abdominal discomfort.

Cloudy urine or red colored urine – the appearance of urine may be cloudy instead of clear. This is due to bacterial colonization in the urine. Protein starts appearing in the urine and coagulation of protein by the bacterial enzymes gives this cloudy appearance. There will be burning sensation at the tip of the urinary passage at the time of urination. There will be foul smell in urine due to presence of different gases produced by metabolic process by those bacteria. Constant irritation of the kidney tissue or ureteric wall will cause bleeding (hematuria) from the inner aspect and there will be RBCs in the urine giving it a red colored appearance. Red colored urine associated with painful urination is a differentiating factor between the cancer of the kidney or urinary bladder where there is painless hematuria.

Nausea and vomiting – sharp pain in the abdomen will constrict the abdominal organs, giving rise to nausea and vomiting.

Frequent urination – as there is irritation of the kidney and the ureter, the patient will have a constant urge to urinate. Urinary tract infection augments this condition. Blockage of the urinary passage will leave a sense of incomplete evacuation of bladder. This is more severe when the kidney stone is very close to the urinary bladder and pushing hard to get lodged inside.

Complete stoppage of urination – this occurs when the kidney stone blocks the upper part of the urethra completely. Urine cannot pass from the bladder through the urethra. This is a medical emergency condition and requires immediate hospitalization and surgical intervention to release the flow of urine. A catheter may be placed through the urethra. In most severe condition, a small surgical procedure in the lower abdomen, called ureterostomy, is done.

General flu-like symptoms – there may be fever, chills, generalized body ache and diarrhea or constipation. These symptoms start appearing only when there is urinary tract infection. Testicular pain or vaginal pain is the symptom of kidney stones in the advanced stage.

Symptoms of kidney stones are very much obvious but it is always better to consult your doctor as soon as you notice any of these symptoms.

About the author:
Dr. Anupam Biswas is writing for several medical and health related websites for a long time. He has been in the editorial board and among the advisories in many such websites.