As you might have heard or even experienced, having kidney stones is very unpleasant and painful. This is why it is good to know why stones form inside the kidneys and what can be done in order to avoid this from happening.

Genetics play a part in determining this condition and so, some people are more likely to develop kidney stones in case some other family member has had them in the past.

Age and gender are also factors that you can’t control. Generally, more vulnerable to kidney stones are:
- men who are between 30-50 years-old
- women with low levels of estrogen (either because of ovaries removal, either because of menopause)

Inherited urinary tract affections like cystinuria and hyperoxaluria are considered to be another cause of kidney stones. This is because of too many oxalates in the urine. These oxalates gather up in the kidney and form crystals that will end up forming stones. Also, people who suffer of certain metabolic affections like hyperparathyroidism or suffer of organic diseases like the cystic kidney might develop kidney stones as well.

Also diseases such as gout, Chron’s disease or thyroid problems (hyperparathyroidism) are also a cause for developing kidney stones.

In people who are more susceptible to developing this affection, know that certain foods increase the risk of stone formation inside the kidneys because the wastes resulted from them can form crystals in the urinary tract. Avoid high intakes of sodium and proteins, in other words consume less red meat and don’t abuse salt. If you needed a reason to give up fast-food, then this is it!

Calcium plays a certain part into kidney stone formation. As scientists say, calcium with oxalate and phosphate can be found in the composition of the kidney stone most often. This is why susceptible persons for developing kidney stones must talk with their doctor before taking calcium supplements. Also they have to be careful not to consume too many dark green blossoming vegetables as they contain a considerable quantity of oxalates.

Doctors recommend that we drink daily plenty of water because dehydration is another cause of kidney stones, not to mention other affections that can be triggered by the lack of water. There are some studies that suggest citrus drinks can help with the prevention because citrate stops crystals from growing into stones. A glass of lemonade can be included once a day. Also moderate intake of coffee, tea, beer or wine may also protect against stone formation.

There is medication that can help prevent calcium kidney stones: the thiazide diuretics. For those who have renal tubular acidosis, which is another condition that leads to calcium stones formation, taking sodium bicarbonate could be a preventive solution.

email

print