Also known as renal calculi, kidney stones may be associated with dehydration; a high-protein, low-fiber diet; certain medications; or various disorders, such as gout, hyperparathyroidism (overactivity of the parathyroid glands), kidney disease, or a urinary tract infection.
Small stones may pass out of the body unnoticed in the urine. Larger stones or stone fragments that pass into the ureter (the tube from the kidney to the bladder) may cause severe back pain; nausea; vomiting; and frequent, painful urination, sometimes with blood in the urine. Small stones may be treated with medication to relieve symptoms, and plenty of fluids to flush out the stones.
A larger stone may be treated with shock waves to break it up so that it can pass out in the urine. Alternatively, surgery may be used to remove or break up the stone