8 Possible Causes of Kidney Stones

A kidney stone can be very tiny similar to the grain of sand and you will pass it in your pee without even knowing. But if the size of the kidney stone is big, it can block your urine flow which hurt a lot. Some people say that the pain is worse than childbirth.

They are formed when the minerals in your pee cluster together. The cause of kidney stones, is basically what you eat and because of certain medications. Kidney stones are also genetic, if someone in your family has a kidney stone then you are more likely to have one in future. There are various clinics you can visit for a kidney stone treatment. But first, let’s see the 8 possible causes of kidney stones:

1. Diet

What you eat can play a vital role in having kidney stones. The most common type of kidney stone happens when calcium and oxalate stick together when your kidney makes urine. Oxalate is a chemical that’s found in vegetables and many healthy foods. The Doctor will advise you to limit high oxalate food if you had this type of stones before. Some examples of the foods include:

- Grifts

- Bran cereal

- Spinach

There is a myth that drinking milk can bring kidney stones. But it’s not true. If you are eating calcium rich foods and foods which have oxalate at the same time then it will help your body to handle the oxalate better. These two will tend to bind the gut instead in the kidneys where a stone can generate from.

2. Lack of Water

You need to make more urine to dilute things which can turn into stones. If you don’t sweat much or drink enough then your pee would be dark. But in reality, it should be clear or pale yellow in colour.

Also Read: Diet for Kidney Stones: Foods to Eat and Avoid

If you had a kidney stone before, you should generate around 8 cups of urine a day. So, aim to drink about 10 cups daily, since you will lose some of your fluids through breathing and sweat. You can also swap your glass of water for a citrus drink. The citrus present in lemonade can block the stones from forming.

3. Intake of Animal Protein increases Kidney Stones

Animal protein is also one of the causes in the generation of kidney stones, it happens because your pee becomes too acidic. Shellfish and red meat can make uric acid in your body to rise. This will get collected in your joints and will cause to make a stone in your kidney. So, animal protein basically raises your urine’s calcium level and it also lowers the amount of citrate and these both encourage the forming of stones.

4. Use of Sodium in your Food

This is normal table salt. It increases your chances of getting various types of kidney stones in your body. So, do watch out for salty snacks, packaged meats, canned foods and also processed foods.

5. Obesity

There is a stat that you are twice likely to form a kidney stone if you are obese. That happens when your body mass index is 30 or more. If your height is 5 feet 10 inches, then obesity starts at 210 pounds. Weight loss surgery will help you shed extra pounds and help you with the kidney stones treatment. But if you opt for the surgery then you are also more prone to get kidney stones. Post weight loss operation is also one of the causes of forming kidney stones.

6. Gut Problems Increases Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are most common in people who suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Bowel problems can also give you diarrhoea, you pee less because of that. Your body absorbs extra oxalate from the intestine, so it gets accumulated more in your urine.

7. Other Medical Conditions

There are many diseases which can encourage types of kidney stones to form.

Certain genetic diseases: The perfect example is medullary sponge kidney, which is a birth defect which causes cysts to form in the kidneys.

Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetes can make your urine more acidic, which increases the formation of the stones.

Gout: This disease makes a uric acid formation in the blood which forms crystals in the kidneys and joints. These kidney stones can become large and painful as time progresses.

Rental tubular acidosis: This also causes the formation of kidney stones and it causes too much of acid build up in the body which will result in the formation of deadly kidney stones.

8. Some Medications which cause Kidney Stones

These medications can be a reason of forming kidney stones

- Some of the drugs which treat HIV and AIDS

- Certain antibiotics which include sulfa antibiotics and ciprofloxacin

- Certain diuretics which are used to treat high blood pressure.

So, these were the 8 causes of Kidney stones, you can easily avoid them and be free from kidney stones which I guess is a painful thing. You can also opt for kidney stones treatment if the kidney stones are large and they are getting out of hand.