What are kidney stones?

Kidney stones are small, pebble-like objects made up of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys. Most of the time, kidney stones form when your urine becomes highly concentrated, causing the minerals to stick together.

Kidney stones can affect any part of your urinary tract — from your kidneys to your bladder — and can happen to anyone.

Symptoms of kidney stones

If you have a kidney stone, you may not know it until it moves around your kidney or heads toward your bladder through a tube called the ureter. Symptoms may vary and can range from mild to severe. They may include:

• Severe pain in your side or back, below your ribs
• Pain in your lower abdomen or groin
• Pain when you urinate and/or needing to urinate more often
• Pain that comes and goes, ranging in severity
• Urine that is pink, red, brown, cloudy or foul-smelling
• Nausea and vomiting
  
  

Risk factors for kidney stones

Certain lifestyle habits, genetics and risk factors can increase your chances of developing kidney stones. These include:

• Family history: If someone in your family has had kidney stones, you’re more likely to have them, too.
• Personal history: If you’ve had kidney stones before, you’re more likely to have them again.
• Not drinking enough water: Not drinking enough water can increase your risk of developing kidney stones. Dehydration can lead to low urine volume and dark, concentrated urine. Concentrated urine doesn’t have enough fluid to dissolve the minerals and salts, which can cause kidney stones to form.
• Diet: Eating a diet high in protein, sodium (salt) and/or sugar can increase your risk. Eating too much salt increases the amount of calcium your kidneys must filter, which increases your chances of developing a kidney stone.
• Being overweight or obese: A higher body mass index has been linked to an increased risk of developing kidney stones.
• Digestive issues and surgery: Having had gastric bypass surgery or having inflammatory bowel disease can increase your risk.
• Other risk factors: Other factors that can increase your risk of developing kidney stones include being male, having Type 2 diabetes or gout or taking certain medications, such as diuretics and antacids.
  
  

Diagnosing kidney stones

Our highly trained team of urology specialists are experienced in diagnosing, treating and helping you prevent kidney stones.

If your doctor thinks you might have kidney stones, he or she will discuss your symptoms and any medications you may take and may want to perform tests to diagnose kidney stones. These tests may include:

• Imaging tests – Your doctor might perform an X-ray, a more in-depth computed tomography (CT) scan or an ultrasound to get a closer look. These tests can help your doctor see how big your kidney stone is and where it’s located in your body.
• Blood tests – Blood tests can tell your doctor if you have a high amount of certain substances in your blood, such as uric acid or calcium, which commonly cause kidney stones to form.
• Urine tests – Your doctor might collect a urine sample to see if you have kidney stone-forming minerals in your urine. This test can also show if you have too few kidney stone-preventing substances in your urine.