Kidney Stones Health Video

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 may crystallize, stick together and solidify, the result is a kidney stone. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for kidney stones in this medical video.

Take Action

Strain & save urine
Contact your doctor
Drink more fluids
Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from FirstMed Centers in Budapest Hungary. I would like to give you a little bit of information about kidney stones. Kidney stones are common. They are present in the kidney as solid masses made up of tiny crystals and you can have one of them or many. They form when the urine contains too much of certain substances which then over time form crystals. Who gets kidney stones? Men are affected much more than women and it usually starts in the 20- to 30-year age group. Sometimes kidney stones can occur as a consequence of gout or chemotherapy. What are the symptoms of kidney stones? They may not produce any symptoms until they begin to move through the urinary tract. There may be severe colicky spasm like pain that may move from the kidney area lower down into the side and then into the pelvis and groin. It may occur on side of the body or on both sides and is usually progressing. How are kidney stones diagnosed? Usually it's necessary to go to the hospital because of the severe pain and then using urine tests, maybe ultrasound and x-rays and other imaging, we can identify that there is a problem with stones in the kidney. What sort of treatment is required? Pain relief is needed until the stone passes and in this case generally it requires a strong pain killer. Most kidney stones usually pass on their own unless they're very large and get stuck. It's a good idea to strain the urine and try to save the stone for testing to determine the cause of it later. Depending on the stone, you may need some medication to decrease the chance that you'll form stones later. Stones that don't pass on their own may need to be removed surgically or using something called lithotripsy which uses ultrasonic waves or shock waves to break up the stones. You should call your doctor if you have symptoms of a kidney stone. It's important to treat it correctly in order to prevent complications such as kidney obstruction and infection. What other things can you do if you have kidney stones? Well, we can all benefit from drinking more liquid and you should try to consume at least 6 or 8 glasses of water per day.