Kidney stones, also known as renal lithiasis, occur frequently in healthy adults. Approximately 70 to 90 percent of the crystals are small enough that they leave the kidney and pass through the urinary tract without a person noticing anything, according to the "New York Times." Sometimes larger kidney stones can cause excruciating pain, leading many doctors to refer to kidney stones as one of the most painful disorders that people can experience. In rare cases, kidney stones can cause severe health complications and require medical treatment.
Pain
If kidney stones grow large enough to cause symptoms, the first symptom experienced is often pain. Pain caused by kidney stones is referred to as renal colic. When the stone leaves the kidney, is must move through the ureter, a narrow tube that connects the kidneys to the bladder. As the stone squeezes through the narrow ureter, it causes extreme pain, usually beginning as a sharp cramping sensation in the side, back or abdomen, between the ribs and the hips. The location of the pain may move to the groin as the stone progresses through the urinary tract. The pain from passing a kidney stone may be so intense that nausea and vomiting result. Doctors sometimes prescribe strong narcotic pain relievers to alleviate the pain.
Blood in the Urine
As the kidney stone passes through the urinary tract, it may cause tiny lacerations on the inner lining of the ureter. While rarely serious, these cuts may cause blood to appear in the urine, turning the urine pink or light brown in color. The presence of blood in the urine is called hematuria.
Infection
Sometimes a very large kidney stone can become stuck in the ureter. If the stone remains stuck, it cause cause an infection in the urinary tract. Symptoms of an infection include fever and chills. A kidney stone blockage that causes infection may require immediate medical intervention to remove the blockage, or permanent kidney damage may occur. If a person suffers frequent kidney stone blockage, the accumulated damage can lead to kidney failure, a life-threatening condition.
