Kidney Stones Symptoms: Everything You Should Know

Kidney Stone Symptoms: An Overview

Kidney stones or renal calculi are among the most prevalent urinary ailments. It leads to the formation of robust fragments made from calcium oxalate ranging from minute particles to that of a golf ball. While minute stones pass off naturally by urine, larger stones lead to profuse discomfort. 

Men are more prone to developing early signs of kidney stones than women. If you experience painful urination or frequent lower back pain, it might indicate underlying UTIs or existing nephroliths. Check out this blog to learn more about potential kidney stone symptoms. 

10 Signs of Kidney Stones

You may need a kidney stone diagnosis if you experience one or more of the following symptoms usually found in patients with renal calculi. These include:

1. Sharp Lower Abdominal Trauma

Unlike muscular inflammation, underlying kidney stones lead to excruciating pain that spreads around the lower abdomen. It exists like sharp waves of contraction and may move around the colic flexures. 

Lower abdominal pain is a primary kidney stone symptom. It confirms the presence of massive renal calculi that causes pain when moving around the kidney near the intestinal region. 

2. Profuse Discomfort While Urination

Kidney stones can lead to dysuria or painful urination. You may also experience a sharp burning sensation because renal calculi lead to inflammation from failing to pass from the ureters to the urinary bladder. 

It's also a sign of underlying UTIs. If you feel prolonged discomfort when urinating, consult a urologist for a kidney stone diagnosis. 

3. Abnormal Micturition

If your kidney contains renal calculi, it can cause obstructive urination. This can lead to irregular or low urine output, meaning you may need to frequent the washroom at odd intervals. 

You may also experience an inability to contain urine for long periods. It could indicate both signs of kidney stones and underlying UTIs. 

4. Presence of Blood in the Urine

Most patients with intestinal and urinary infections pass blood with the urine. Also known as haematuria, it's impossible to detect by the naked eye but includes a marked brown colour of urine distinct from its natural yellowish tint. 

Remember, haematuria is a common symptom of various ailments like prostate cancer, kidney malfunction, and underlying circulatory issues. If you experience pinkish or reddish urine, promptly contact your physician for a kidney stone diagnosis. 

5. Foul Odour and Cloudy Urine Texture

Natural urine is crystalline, which means you will not detect a hazy texture upon release. Kidney stone symptoms lead to pyuria, meaning pathogenic presence in the urine, leading to cloudiness.  

Foul urine odour is abnormal and indicates renal calculi, among other complications. While urine stench may suggest liver ailments, it's different from foul odour arising from bacterial decomposition of urea. 

6. Unable to Urinate From Blockage of UT

Kidney stone symptoms also include blockage of the ureters, a pair of smooth muscular tubes that transfer filtered urine from collecting ducts to the urinary bladder. 

It leads to abnormal urine flow, which is different from bladder dysfunction. Remember, ureter blockage can be fatal as it leads to toxic accumulation of urea in the kidney, best understood through little or no micturition in the last 24 hours. 

7. Unexplained Inflammation

Kidney stones can lead to pyuria, that is, an abundance of pathogens in your body. It shall lead to sudden fever or body inflammation with abdominal pain, making it among the prominent signs of kidney stones. 

If you experience recurrent fever with urinary discomfort, it could suggest renal calculi in addition to UTIs. Consult a urologist before consuming antipyretics to reduce your fever.

8. Frequent Nausea

Individuals with GI infections experience frequent nausea and vomiting tendencies. It could also be among kidney stone symptoms since renal calculi passing around the kidney can trigger shared nerves that cause stomach upset. 

If you experience nausea with recurrent lower back inflammation, seek clinical consultation for prompt diagnosis before trying OTC medications. 

9. Inflammation Around Reproductive Organs

Besides abdominal pain, signs of kidney stones include reproductive organ inflammation in both men and women. It happens if renal calculi inflammation reaches the testicular wall (men) and irritation in the labia and vulva (women). 

It also leads to irregular discharge in females, besides recurrent pain in the groin region. These signs are also similar among patients with UTIs, making it essential to seek consultation with a urologist to know accurately about your condition.

10. Translocation of Abdominal Pain

Lower-back abdominal pain is among the vital signs of kidney stones. Furthermore, the pain is not static like muscular cramps but moves around as the renal calculi pass through the kidney, triggering various nerves in the vital region. 

The pain can shift near your lower ribs or spread out to reproductive organs, imparting a feeling of unknown roaming objects. Abdominal pain is a common symptom of many ailments. Irrespective of your existing condition, please consult a doctor to get diagnosed for underlying complications before consuming medications.

Conclusion

Kidney stones symptoms are health complications from underlying anomalies like kidney stones, gastrointestinal issues, and an oxalate-rich diet. A treatable condition, this can resolve naturally if renal calculi stones are small. If you experience the above symptoms, it suggests large nephroliths obstructing the urinary tract, meaning you need prompt clinical support.

A urologist would suggest multiple pathological tests to measure calcium levels in your blood. Would you like a home collection of blood samples? Metropolis Lab provides seamless test sample collection through trained technicians (phlebotomists) who forward them for evaluation at state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratories. 
Do you have frequent micturition troubles? Consult with a urologist today to get checked for signs of kidney stones. If you need a customized pathological package for in-house sample collection, check out the best offers from Metropolis Lab.