Urinary tract stones on the rise, but treatment keeping pace

By Nick Rees

The number of people in the United States reporting urinary tract stones has increased over the past 30 years, from less than four percent of the population in the late 1970s to more than five percent by the early 1990s, the National Institutes of Health reports.

"Urinary tract stones involve a stone made of calcium that forms in the kidney," Dr. Michael Blum, MD, selected as a Chicago Top Doctor by TopTierMD as a top rated urologist in Chicago, said. "It doesn't cause trouble until the stone tries to pass and blocks the ureter. The kidney continues to manufacture urine, which it can't pass, so the kidney balloons up, as well as the ureter, resulting in severe pain."

There are a number of treatments for stones, including medication to relax the ureter and promote the passage of small stones.

"If the stone is too large to pass, the treatment depends on where the stone is in the urinary tract," Dr. Blum said. "Stones in the kidney or upper part of the ureter are treated with lithotripsy, which is where shockwaves are transmitted into the body to powder the stones."

For stones in the lower portion of the ureter, doctors can go up the urethra and break up the stones, removing the pieces individually.

"It is of great importance to embark on tests and determine why the stone formed once it has been taken care of," Dr. Blum said. "Seldom does the stone have anything to do with diet. It's more commonly a matter of too much absorption of calcium from the bowel or kidneys, which then let too much calcium leak into the urine."

To aid in preventing the formation of stones, Dr. Blum said, urine should be diluted by drinking large amounts of fluids.

"The body needs to produce about two quarts of urine a day," Dr. Blum said. "That means 2.5 quarts of fluid should be consumed every 24 hours, which takes a lot of commitment, but it's the most important part."

According to the National Institutes of Health, specific foods do not cause stones to form, though it has advised that, "in some people, a diet high in protein may lead to kidney stones because extra protein causes calcium to be excreted from the body, raising calcium levels in the urine."

Dr. Michael Blum, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered Best in Urology in Chicago. He specializes in prostate cancer treatment, treatment of stone disease, and no-needle, no-scalpel vasectomies.