Kidney Stones Causes, Signs and Symptoms

Usually, a kidney stone may not have any signs and symptoms unless it moves within the kidney or passes into the ureter – a tube linking the kidney and urinary bladder. At that point, you’ll experience the following signs and symptoms:

• Pain on urination
• Extreme pain in the back and sides, below the ribs
• Pain comes in waves with fluctuating intensity
• Pain radiating to the groin or lower abdomen
• Red, pink or brown urine
• Foul-smelling or cloudy urine
• Vomiting and nausea
• Frequent urination than usual
• A constant need to urinate
• Urinating in small amounts
• Chills and fever, in case of an infection

Kidney stones develop when certain substances present in the urine turn into crystals. These substances are often called calcium stones; however, uric acid and other minerals can also lead to stones too.

Around 80% of people suffer from calcium kidney stones, 5-10% of people suffer from uric acid stones and 10% of stones are made from the mineral struvite.

Typically, these substances dissolve in the urine. However, some medical conditions also lead to an increase in the concentration of these substances, resulting in the formation of crystals.

Even some foods like rhubarb include higher levels of oxalic acid that increase uric acid concentration in urine.