Urine contains dissolved substances (solutes), or waste products. These solutes can solidify forming crystals in the urine if the urine pH becomes increasingly acidic or basic and the concentration of dissolved substances increases. According...
Chemicals in most people's urine effectively keep crystals from forming. When this process is inefficient, crystals composed of calcium plus oxalate or phosphate, or from uric acid, form. Some crystals pass through the urinary tract with ease;...
Crystals consisting of uric acid, calcium or oxalates can contribute to kidney stones -- the pain from which has been compared to childbirth in intensity. Typically, urine contains chemicals that prevent or inhibit crystals from forming; however,...
Kidney stones are small, hard, sharp crystals that can lodge in the kidneys or the ureter, which is the tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder, and are potentially very painful. The most commonly occurring stones are made of...
Testing urine gives a clear indication of the health of the kidneys and the urinary tract. Spun down, concentrated urine can be viewed under a microscope, and certain types of cells isolated. Some types of cells found in urine are perfectly...
Kidney stones are hard masses that are formed from crystals in the urine. Because urine crystals form from waste products that are eliminated from the body, diet can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. In people who are prone to...
Distilled water is water that has undergone distillation, one of the processes of commercial water purification, According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Distillation, by boiling water, collecting the steam and allowing it to...
Kidney stones, also called nephrolithiasis, are solid masses of urine crystals that form in the kidney. After forming in the kidney, the stones pass through the ureter, into the bladder and out the body during urination. Sometimes the stones stick...
Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the human body, maintains strong bones and teeth. In addition, calcium aids in muscle and nerve functions and releases hormones and enzymes needed throughout the body. The National Institutes of Health Office...
During pregnancy, a woman routinely receive many tests at each doctor visit to help determine the health of herself and the fetus. Physicians use a urinalysis as a screening or diagnostic tool to help detect substances in the urine associated with...
Vitamin D, an essential vitamin, comes from two sources. Your body manufactures vitamin D from sunlight exposure, and it is also found in fortified diary products, liver and fish. Vitamin D deficiency has become more common in the United States as...
Kidney stones are made from mineral crystals that accumulate in the urine. As they pass through the urinary tract, they can cause severe pain. Those at risk for kidney stones should take steps to reduce their risk for developing this severe...
Cystitis is the inflammation of the urinary bladder that is characterized by frequent and painful urination, low grade fever, discomfort in the pelvic area, nausea, and vomiting. A sample of urine from the patient is the most common specimen. The...
Kidney stones form because of chemical abnormalities, low fluid intake or because of highly concentrated urine. The exact cause of kidney stones is not always known initially, but upon testing, your physician can determine the contributing...
Urine is the most common sample received by clinical laboratories, and is the specimen of choice to diagnose a variety of conditions, including urinary tract infections, bladder stones, kidney failure, prostatitis, and ovarian and prostate...
Pain when urinating is described by MedlinePlus as any sensation of pain, discomfort or burning. Pain during urination is a common symptom that is most often caused by an infection of one of the structures in the urinary tract, which includes the...
Kidney stones can develop for various reasons: high calcium levels in the urine, high oxalate levels in the urine, bacterial infections, gout, a hereditary disease, the malabsorption of fat and even a high amount of vitamin C. People with kidney...
Crystal Light is a low-calorie, artificially sweetened flavored drink mix. One of the most popular flavors of Crystal Light is lemonade. As an alternative to sugar-laden sodas, Crystal Light can be part of a low-calorie diet program when consumed...
There's a home remedy for just about everything and kidney stones are no different. Vinegar is often associated with a wide variety of remedies, including those for kidney stones, and it supposedly aids in relieving inflammation. Even though...
Your kidneys play an important part in keeping your body functioning normally. They maintain a proper balance between water and salts, excrete wastes and help maintain healthy blood pressure. Kidney stones form when minerals normally dissolved in...
Poor weight gain in infants can be frustrating for parents, especially when the cause is undetermined. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), poor weight gain in infants is a strong indicator that your baby is not getting enough...
Kidney stones occur when some of the compounds in urine crystallize out of solution. These small crystals aggregate to produce a solid, hard mass that causes severe pain as it moves through the abdomen, side, back and groin. Some types of kidney...
A Foley catheter is used to drain urine from the bladder of a patient who is unable to do so himself. The catheter, a soft tube made of rubber or plastic, is inserted through the urethra and into the bladder. Patients may require catheterization...
Kidney stones are hardened masses that form inside your kidney from a combination of mineral and acid salts. Although kidney stones can cause a great deal of pain, they do not usually cause any serious complications. One type of kidney stone,...
Blood in the urine is called hematuria and should be evaluated by a doctor. Since trace blood in the urine can be invisible to the eye, a microscope is required to quantify the amount. Some blood loss in microscopic amounts is observed transiently...
While kidney stones are more common in adults, teens can also get them. Kidney stones form when a chemical imbalance in the blood and/or urine causes a crystal to develop and grow larger. At some point, the stone gets loose and tries to exit the...
Kidney stones form when various compounds are deposited in the kidneys during the process of elimination. If urine quantities are scanty or the body's pH is out of balance, a kidney stone may form and grow, eventually causing problems. Passing...
Kidney stones can be the result of either too much uric acid in the body or too much calcium causing the production of five different kinds of stones. Most stones dissolve in urine containing various acids from foods eaten. Larger stones often...
The kidneys are your body's main filtration organs. They filter out waste products from the blood and make urine to excrete these waste products. Kidney stones are hard masses that develop from a separation of crystals from the urine. Many kidney...
Kidney stones or renal lithiasis are small, hard deposits of mineral and acid salts on the inner surfaces of your kidneys. Normally, the substances that make up kidney stones are diluted in the urine. When urine is concentrated, though, minerals...
Bladder stones are small masses of minerals that form in your bladder, the balloon-shaped organ in your pelvis that stores urine. Bladder stones, also called bladder calculi, often form when concentrated urine sits in your bladder. Bladder stones...
