Urolithiasis, or urinary tract stones, is the Western medical name for the disease, also known as urolithiasis, which is a general term for stone disease in various parts of the urinary system, including upper urinary tract stones in the kidney and ureter and lower urinary tract stones in the bladder and urethra, and is a common and frequent disease of the urinary system, with a population incidence of about 1 per 1,000. Upper urinary tract stones can occur on one side or both sides simultaneously or sequentially. Stones can be single or multiple.
The size of urinary tract stones varies greatly, from 5 to 150 px in diameter for large stones to fine sand for small stones. The incidence of stones is higher in men than in women, with a male to female incidence rate of about 3:1. The high incidence age for men is between 20 and 50 years old, and for women it is around 30 years old and 55 years old after menopause. The incidence rate is higher in the south than in the north, and the recurrence rate is high. Since stones do not occur in the primary site when movement occurs, people often do not feel any discomfort and therefore ignore the danger of the disease to their bodies.
However, I would like to tell my friends that when stones increase in size or movement, they are not small but harmful, so do not take urolithiasis lightly. The following only according to the reader’s letter request, first around the urinary tract stones on the human body what harm, bad habits will not induce urinary tract stones and how to self-judge whether suffering from urinary tract stones to do a brief introduction.
1, a small urinary tract stones on the human body harm a lot of
The harm of urinary tract stones to the human body is multifaceted, simply put, there are the following three points.
First, damage to the urinary tract. Some of the rougher surface and smaller stones move back and forth in the kidney calyx or move from the kidney to the ureter and urethra, which can easily damage the renal pelvis, ureter and urethral mucosa, causing symptoms such as bleeding in the urinary tract, colic (renal colic) or pain in the urethra on the affected side. The lumbar colic or urethral pain sometimes radiates to the ipsilateral pubic area and inner thighs, and when the colic is severe, it is often unbearable and requires injection of strong painkillers such as dulcolax to relieve the pain, which can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, blood in the urine and other symptoms, and in severe cases, painful shock can occur.
Second, blockage of the urinary tract. When the kidney stone enlarges and blocks the neck of the renal calyx, it can lead to fluid or pus accumulation in the calyx. Kidney stones smaller than 25px, smooth and regular can enter the renal pelvis or ureter and be discharged naturally, while stones with less regular shape tend to stay in one part of the ureter and cause urinary tract obstruction. If the obstruction cannot be lifted in time, it may lead to expansion of the ureter and renal pelvis and fluid accumulation in the upper part of the obstruction, which may squeeze the kidney parenchyma and gradually damage it and affect the kidney function.
If the hydronephrosis is not lifted for a long time, it may lead to the loss of the whole kidney function. If both ureters are obstructed for a long time, it may lead to uremia. When stones block the lower ureter or urethra, they can cause bladder irritation symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency and painful urination. Larger stones can block the urethra, resulting in difficulty in urination or inability to discharge urine properly.
Third, it can induce infection. If urinary tract stones are not treated in time, urinary tract infections will often be induced. Such as larger kidney stones can cause kidney parenchymal infection or even develop into perinephric infection, stone friction stimulates the urinary tract will induce urinary tract infection or hydronephrosis, infection, upper urinary tract infection will develop to a certain extent to form renal pus, serious urinary tract infection will cause sepsis, threatening the health and life of patients.
2, bad living and eating habits can induce urinary tract stones
The formation of stones is related to gender, geosocial environment and individual intrinsic genetics, genes and other factors. The following are the common bad habits of life and diet that induce urolithiasis.
First, not drinking enough water in general. Drinking too little water is the main trigger for the development of urinary stones. In modern society, due to the busy work and fast-paced life, some people often work up and forget to drink water, or work is not busy but did not develop the habit of drinking water, or tired or hot sweat is not timely hydration.
Insufficient water consumption will lead to urine concentration, urine concentration, urine crystalline salts will be deposited in the kidney or bladder to form crystals, the accumulation of months to form stones. In addition, long-term drinking hard water or high-calcium water groups, so that the urinary calcium content increased and easy to form stones.
Second, the diet structure is not reasonable. Long-term consumption of high protein, high sugar, high purine, high calcium diet, often easy to lead to the formation of urinary stones. Those who often consume large amounts of high-fiber foods are prone to bladder stones. Frequent consumption of dairy products will increase the absorption of calcium by the body, frequent consumption of meat products will increase uric acid in the urine, and large consumption of spinach can increase the concentration of oxalic acid in the urine, all of which have the potential to induce stone formation.
Third, not timely treatment of disease. Hyperparathyroidism, renal tubular acidosis, cortisolism, osteolytic bone tumors, prostate hyperplasia, recurrent urinary tract infections and other diseases, if not treated in a timely manner, may become the cause of urinary tract stone formation.
Fourth, the use of drugs is not standardized. Not according to the doctor’s orders too much or often take vitamin D, take vitamin C, corticosteroids, sulfonamide, aspirin, acetazolamide and other drugs, often induce the formation of urinary tract stones.
3, whether to suffer from urinary tract stones self-judgment
In clinical work, it is found that some people suffer from urinary tract stones but they do not know it themselves, and they are often found to have urinary tract stones only during health check-ups or during the treatment of other diseases. So, what discomforts in daily life should be considered when you are suffering from urinary stones? Generally speaking, when the following discomfort or symptoms occur, it is very likely that there are stones in the urinary tract.
If you feel dull pain or swelling in your lower back frequently and exclude lumbar spine disease, or if you occasionally have mild lumbar colic, you may have kidney stones.
If there is a sudden onset of acute low back or abdominal colic, also known as renal colic, and the pain is followed by hematuria, it is often a ureteral stone. The pain is paroxysmal and often radiates down one side of the lower back to the ipsilateral lower abdomen, vulva and inner thighs, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The degree of pain is related to the location, size and movement of the stone.
Bladder stones should be considered if there is usually poor urination, frequent urination, urgency, painful urination and terminal hematuria, interruptions in urination that cause pain, and then smooth urination with a change of position. In men, when bladder stones cause pain, the pain also radiates to the perineum or head of the penis and distal urethra. In young boys with bladder stones, in addition to interruptions in urination, the child often holds his penis with his hands, sits down and cries.
If difficulty in urination, straining to urinate, or urine dribbling out, or interruption of urine flow and painful urination occur, one should consider having urethral stones. In men, urinary pain that occurs with urethral stones can radiate to the head of the penis when it is obvious; posterior urethral stones can be accompanied by pain in the perineum and scrotum.
In addition, microscopic examination of urine often reveals red cells in urine, especially after activity, or repeated urinary symptoms such as frequent, urgent, and painful urination and ineffective treatment for a long time, you may have urinary stones.
If the above discomfort or symptoms appear in yourself, you should promptly go to the hospital for relevant examinations to confirm whether you have urinary stones.