All it takes is one bout with kidney stones to underscore the importance of prevention. If you’ve been fortunate and avoided kidney stones, trust us when we say this is one condition you’d do well to avoid.
Kidney stones affect 1 in 11 people at some point in their lives and drive half a million ER visits each year in the United States, so taking steps to prevent the condition is well worth taking.
A great place to start is to understand your risks for kidney stones, which the team here at Arizona Urology dives into below after a brief review of the condition.
As the name implies, kidney stones are hard objects that form inside your kidneys. These stones are made from different chemicals in your urine that can lead to different types of stones, including:
No matter what the stone is made of, it can cause a lot of pain as it passes through your urinary tract, especially if it stalls and blocks urine flow.
Now, let’s get into some of the more common risk factors for kidney stones, bearing in mind that some are beyond your control to change while others are well within your reach.
Let’s start with a risk factor you have little control over — gender. Kidney stones affect men twice as much as women, and one of the reasons for this is urine composition.
If your kidneys aren’t flushed out regularly, stones can develop. So, it’s important to drink plenty of fluids to keep things flowing.
If your diet is heavy on salt and/or sugar or you eat a lot of meat and protein-rich foods, you’re more at risk for kidney stones.
Many health issues are linked to kidney stones, including diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, and obesity, to name just a few.
If you’ve had bariatric surgery, this may heighten your risk for kidney stones.
If you have a personal history of kidney stones, it can make you more vulnerable in the future. This also applies to a family history of kidney stones — if your immediate family members have had the condition, your risks might be higher.
Please note that the above list is far from complete, but we want to provide you with some of the more common factors that can place you at risk for kidney stones. Our goal is to highlight those factors you can do something about, such as your diet, hydration practices, and weight.
For a more personalized and detailed kidney stone prevention plan and expert treatment of existing kidney stones, please schedule an appointment at one of our offices in Phoenix, Goodyear, Gilbert, and Glendale, Arizona, to sit down with one of our urology specialists.
