What Is a Kidney Stone?

 

A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms from crystallization of excreted substances in the urine. The stone may remain in the kidney or break loose and travel down the urinary tract. A small stone may pass all of the way out of the body, but a larger stone can get stuck in a ureter, the bladder, or the urethra. This may block the flow of urine and cause great pain.

A kidney stone may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pearl, and some are as big as golf balls. Approximately 80 percent of kidney stones are less than 2 centimeters in width. They may be smooth or jagged, and are usually yellow or brown in color.

 

 

Latest Kidney Stones News
Calcium builds men's bones, too, study confirms

November 11, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men's bones benefit from calcium supplementation just as much as women's do, a new study out in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows.

China turns to fixing system as toxic milk cases fall

October 31, 2008 — BEIJING (Reuters) - China's health minister urged the nation's officials to focus on fixing its problem-ridden food safety system now the flood of Chinese children hospitalised for toxic milk poisoning has eased.

Chinese kids on melamine milk develop crystals: WHO

October 28, 2008 — HONG KONG (Reuters) - Some children who have fallen ill in China after being fed milk formula that had been contaminated with melamine have developed "crystals" in their kidneys, a WHO food safety expert said on Tuesday.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health