Kidney Stones: Prevention in a Hot Climate
Anantapur's summer produces a predictable surge in kidney stone admissions. Recurrence is common — and largely preventable with changes most people can sustain.
Read articleKidney stones are hard deposits that form in the urinary tract and cause severe pain when they obstruct the flow of urine. In Anantapur's heat, inadequate water intake through the working day makes stones a predictable summer problem.
Symptoms
Not everyone gets every symptom, and the pattern can differ in older people, in people with diabetes and in children. These are the ones most often reported.
- Sudden severe pain in the loin radiating to the groin
- Pain coming in waves, with restlessness and inability to find a comfortable position
- Nausea and vomiting with the pain
- Blood in the urine, visible or detected on testing
- Burning on passing urine and increased frequency
- Fever and chills if infection develops behind the obstruction
When to see a doctor
Do not wait these out
If any of the following applies, arrange to be seen the same day. For anything sudden or severe, call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department at SIMS — it is open 24 hours and does not need an appointment.
- Loin pain with fever and chills — this is an emergency, as infection behind an obstruction spreads rapidly
- Complete inability to pass urine
- Severe pain not controlled by oral medication, or persistent vomiting
- Visible blood in the urine, even a single episode
Tests that may be advised
Your consultant will order only the investigations that change the plan. Most of the following are available on the SIMS campus, so results usually come back the same visit.
- Ultrasound of the kidneys, ureters and bladder
- Non-contrast CT of the abdomen, the most accurate test for stones
- Urine routine examination and culture
- Kidney function tests and serum calcium
- Stone analysis after passage or removal, to guide prevention
How it is treated
Treatment is decided case by case — by how advanced the problem is, what else you are being treated for, and what you can realistically sustain. Broadly, it involves the following.
- High fluid intake and pain control for small stones likely to pass on their own
- Medication to help stone passage in selected cases
- Ureteroscopy with laser fragmentation for obstructing stones
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomy for large kidney stones
- Double-J stenting and urgent drainage for infected obstruction
- Prevention: enough water that urine stays pale, reduced salt, and diet advice based on stone type
This page is general information, not a diagnosis
Kidney Stones can look like several other conditions, and the reverse is equally true. Nothing here can replace an examination, your test results and the judgement of the doctor treating you — and no medicine mentioned by name to a friend or relative should be started on the strength of this page. If you recognise yourself in it, book a consultation with the Urology department. If a symptom is sudden or severe, call 9281862028.
