Kidney stones have plagued many people for a very long time. This is not a new illness; kidney stones have received much attention from the international media.

The existence of kidney stones has been recorded since the beginning of civilisation and lithotomy, for the removal of stones, is one of the earliest known surgical procedures. In 1901, a stone was discovered in the pelvis of an Egyptian mummy and was dated to 4,800 BC. Dr Hope Russell, urologist at Fairhaven Medical Centre in Kingston, said a kidney stone is a hard lump or object formed in the kidney, urinary tract or bladder, similar to a stone in your backyard.

She notes that it is just as common in men as in women and it is also found in children. "Kidney stone is a common condition in Jamaica, but not as common as in England or some other countries," said Dr Russell.

She said there are three types of kidney stones: calcium, uric acid and cystine, which are very rare. So far, she has only seen one case of the latter. Calcium and uric stones are the most common. There are different types of calcium stones: calcium phosphate, oxalate and carbonate. Calcium stones account for 75 to 85 per cent of all stones and are more likely to occur in men. They occur when calcium that is not used by the bones and muscles goes to the kidneys. In most people, the kidneys flush out the extra calcium with the rest of the urine. People who have calcium stones retain the calcium in their kidneys

Also, uric acid stones are more likely to occur in men and are formed by a build-up of uric acid. Struvite stones are formed by a build-up of calcium, magnesium and ammonium phosphate. These account for 10 to 15 per cent of all stones, are mainly found in women, and are linked to chronic infections of the urinary tract.

Common symptoms

She said the most common symptoms of kidney stones are a dull, aching pain in the back on either side of the spine. "However, when the stones start moving, the pain becomes intense."

She added that there are two ways to diagnose kidney stones: by doing an ultrasound or X-ray. But, an ultrasound is the best method.

TREATMENT

Dr Russell noted that kidney stones can be treated by changing your diet, changing the pH in the urine and/or through surgery (crush the stones and wash out the particles).

She said further that when you have this type of stones (calcium), you should cut back on dairy products and increase the intake of water to flush out the kidney.

For the uric stones, the urine tends to be alkaline. To treat this type of stone, one should cut back on red meat, drink more water and change the acidity in the urine through medication.

Dr Russell advises people to drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day to flush the kidneys.

keisha.shakespeare@gleanerjm.com.