Kidney stones in women - symptoms and treatment

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Kidney stones are formed by salt crystallization, and symptoms do not always appear immediately. In women, this pathology is most common, this is due to the structure of the genitourinary system. While the stones are at rest, urolithiasis may not manifest itself, but when the stones move, the patient feels unbearable spasmodic pain in the lower abdomen, with a sharp increase in body temperature.

Diagnosis and therapy of the disease is carried out in a comprehensive manner by a nephrologist, endocrinologist and gynecologist.

Causes

There are many reasons for the development of urolithiasis.

Among them:

• drinking water with a high salt content;
• hereditary predisposition;
• abuse of salty, spicy, fatty, sour and spicy foods;
• vitamin deficiency;
• dysfunction of the parathyroid glands;
• lack of ultraviolet radiation;
• too hot climate;
• mechanical and pathological damage to the skeletal system;
• prolonged intoxication of the body;
• frequent inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system;
• dysfunction of the digestive tract;
• metabolic disorders;
• abnormalities in the development of the kidneys and ureter;
• chronic kidney disease;
• endocrine diseases.

Kidney stones can be of different composition, shape and size. In women, due to the peculiarities of the location of the genitourinary organs, there is a high risk of calculi.

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Symptoms

Stone formation in the kidneys does not immediately manifest itself with vivid symptoms, sometimes for a long time a person does not assume that there is a problem. There are frequent cases when the presence of calculi is detected during a routine medical examination or diagnosis of third-party diseases.

The presence of kidney stones can be determined by alarming symptoms and examination results. In women, due to the proximity of the urethra to the anal canal, bacterial growth and infection occurs more often than in men.

Against this background, the risk of stone formation increases and this has the following symptoms:

• sharp or stabbing pain on the side of the back in the area of the affected kidney (sometimes it radiates to neighboring organs);
• discomfort in the lower abdomen;
• nausea, sometimes turning into vomiting;
• violation of miction;
• frequent urge to empty the bladder;
• burning and cutting during urination (this indicates the presence of sand or small stones in the urethra);
• high body temperature, reaching 39 degrees;
• bloating, increased flatulence;
• dyspeptic disorders;
• cold sweat protrusion;
• high blood pressure;
• turbidity of the biological fluid, the appearance of sediment;
• intermittent urination.

This is a general clinical picture with kidney stones in women, but with the further development of the inflammatory process and an increase in the number and size of calculi, the symptoms intensify and are supplemented by others. Treatment is based on the results of the examination, in difficult situations, surgical intervention is required.

The movement of stones provokes vivid signs that sometimes simply cannot be tolerated. The most dangerous condition is renal colic, which occurs due to an absolute blockage of the ureter. The movement of dense formations violates the mucous membrane, therefore, emptyings almost always have blood impurities.

If kidney stones provoke these symptoms, then home treatment has serious consequences. In women, rupture of the ureter or bladder may occur. Therefore, this condition should be a wake-up call for going to the hospital.

Diagnostics

A timely identified problem makes it possible to carry out high-quality treatment. But often kidney stones do not make themselves felt for a long time, the symptoms appear already when the process of movement of dense formations has begun.

In women, as a rule, urolithiasis is detected when diagnosing third-party pathologies of the genitourinary system, the causes of calculus formation are established, and treatment is prescribed.

Before prescribing a diagnosis, the doctor collects a complete history of the patient, determines the need for other specialists. And to obtain an accurate picture of the disease, a number of diagnostic measures are carried out:

1. General analysis of urine and blood.
2. Ultrasound of the kidneys, gallbladder and bladder. Allows you to identify the presence of urate stones.
3. X-ray with contrast. It is prescribed as an additional procedure for the detection of oxolate calculi that have reached a diameter of 3 mm. Other types of dense formations are not shown on x-rays.
4. Urography. A contrast agent is injected into the blood, which allows you to identify the exact location of the stones.
5. CT of the kidneys. The most informative method for recognizing the location of stones, their type, shape and size.

Treatment is carried out based on the results of the diagnosis. As a rule, urolithiasis is always accompanied by a strong inflammatory process, therefore, urine culture for sensitivity to antibiotics is added to the main diagnosis.

Treatment

Treatment of urolithiasis is carried out only in a hospital setting, it includes a set of procedures:

• crushing or extracting stones;
• fighting the inflammatory process;
• normalization of urine excretion;
• prevention of further stone formation.

The tactics of therapy are developed individually, depending on the type and size of stones, the age of the patient, and the intensity of manifestations.

Drugs

Doctors offer two options for solving the problem: surgical treatment or a conservative technique. Of course, this does not depend on the patient's wishes, but is based on the results of the examination.

If the stones are rather large (more than 5 mm), they are removed surgically, and in cases with small stones, conservative therapy is developed.

But it must be said that small dense formations are not always removed from the body with medicines, sometimes a decision is made to conduct an operation.

Conservative treatment involves the complex administration of drugs of the following groups:

• pain relievers;
• diuretics;
• antispasmodic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antibacterial.

Surgical treatment of kidney stones in women

If the treatment is ineffective with medication, the need for surgical removal of stones is determined. Surgery is often performed using an endoscope, which is inserted into the urethra or through an incision in the lumbar region.

There is also such a method of removing stones as ultrasonic crushing. This method is effective for soft stones of small size. After the procedure, they break down into sand and leave the body on their own along with urination.

Nutrition rules

Proper nutrition during treatment is one of the important points. Without a diet, conservative therapy will not give the desired results. It is also recommended to observe special nutrition for a long time and after successful removal of stones.

The daily diet depends on the type of calculi, their composition and structure:

1. In the presence of urates, you should refuse chocolate, coffee, salt, animal protein, meat and meat products, legumes. Preference is given to dairy products and plant foods.
2. In the presence of phosphates, patients should exclude milk, plant foods, and spices from the diet. Increase consumption of meat and baked goods. Limit the consumption of potatoes, dairy products, berries, and legumes to a minimum.
3. In the presence of oxalates, ascorbic and oxalic acids are excluded from the diet, that is, it is absolutely necessary to abandon sorrel, spinach, sweets, coffee and strong black tea. Limit the consumption of dairy products to a minimum, and give pressure to meat, vegetables and fruits.

The success of conservative therapy depends on adequate fluid intake. It is advisable to use purified water, various herbal teas and decoctions. Daily consumption is at least 2 liters.

Forecast

Unfortunately, it is impossible to say that drug therapy is 100% effective, there is always a risk of unsuccessful treatment. But a favorable outcome is possible only under the supervision of doctors. In the absence of results after a week's course, a decision is made to use radical measures.

Timely appeal for qualified help will save you from death. The most alarming sign is the appearance of renal colic and blood in the urine.

Prophylaxis

Prevention of stone formation is based on the implementation of simple rules:

• correct lifestyle;
• adherence to a diet;
• regular sports;
• adequate fluid intake;
• timely diagnosis and treatment of any inflammation.

Types of kidney stones

As a result of metabolic disturbances, grains of salt accumulate in the papillae of the kidneys, which are converted into microlites. They leave the body along with urine, but sometimes they can linger in the ducts, combine with phosphates, calcium and become the basis of the stone. Concrements differ in chemical composition, shape, size. There are these types of stones:

1. Calcifications. This is the most common type of stones, they are quite hard, they are divided into 2 types:
2. Phosphate - smooth surface, low density, easily split;
3. oxalate - high density, there are thorns on the surface, they scratch the mucous membrane, provoke pain, do not give in to crushing.
4. Struvite. They appear as a result of infections of the organs of the genitourinary system. They are rapidly increasing in size.
5. Acidic (urates). They are formed as a result of a disturbed drinking regime, in which Ph in the kidneys decreases to less than 5.0.
6. Cystine. Congenital disorder of protein metabolism becomes a provoking factor for their formation. The stones have an irregular hexagonal shape and are difficult to crush.
7. Mixed (calcium oxalate). Some of the hardest stones. Crushing is impossible by any methods, therefore, removal occurs only promptly. They have a rough surface with dark spikes. Easily identified on X-ray with contrast.

Kidney stones during pregnancy - what to do

The danger lies in the fact that during pregnancy it is possible to detect the presence of calculi only in the last stages. A high dose of calcium intake into the body is considered a provoking factor for the formation of dense formations, an additional factor is the squeezing of the kidneys by the uterus.

Drug therapy is complicated by the fact that during this period any serious drugs are contraindicated for a woman, so the doctor selects the safest treatment, taking into account the risk and severity of the pathology.

Operations are prescribed only in extreme cases when it comes to the life of the mother.

How kidney stones come out in women

When the stones move, severe pain is felt, the condition worsens. Additional symptoms may appear:

• upset stool;
• frequent miktion with a feeling of cutting and burning;
• vomit.

In such situations, the patient needs to see a doctor. If these are small particles of calculi, then severe pain should go away in 1-1, 5 hours.

Excessive physical activity, stress, alcohol, and medication can provoke the release of stones in women.

What not to do

When calculus comes out, it is prohibited:

• take alcoholic beverages;
• make warm compresses;
• take a bathroom;
• to do physical exercises;
• lift weights.

Kidney stones are a serious problem that can occur not only in women, but also in men. Symptoms often appear already in the late stages, when the movement of the calculus has intensified, and treatment with medications may no longer give positive results. If you already know that you have a predisposition to urolithiasis, then it is best to stick to a proper diet and lifestyle. Prevention is the best remedy for kidney stones.