Renal Calculi: Causes, Effects On the Kidneys and Treatments.

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BSHU2                                                HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY 2

DEREK THOMSON                                DR I.C. WILKIE

200214055                                                06/12/02

WORD COUNT:                                        2809

RENAL CALCULI: CAUSES, EFFECTS ON THE KIDNEYS AND TREATMENTS.

INTRODUCTION:                                                PAGE        4

OVERVIEW OF THE KIDNEY:                                PAGE        5  

WHAT ARE THE KIDNEYS?

HOW DOES THE URINARY SYSTEM WORK?

CAUSES OF KIDNEY STONES:                                PAGE        7

WHAT ARE KIDNEY STONES?

WHAT CAUSES KIDNEY STONES TO FORM?

WHO GETS KIDNEY STONES?

WHAT ARE THE SYPTOMS?

HOW ARE THEY DIAGNOSED?

WHAT DIFFERENT TYPES ARE THERE?

EFFECTS ON THE KIDNEYS:                                PAGE        15

HYPERCALCIURIA

HYPEROXALURIA

HYPOCITRATURIA

TREATMENTS:                                                        PAGE        17

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

MEDICAL TREATMENT

SURGICAL TREATMENT

RESEARCH ON STONES

CONCLUSIONS:                                                PAGE        23

REFERENCES:                                                        PAGE        24

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS MY OWN WORK. IT HAS NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, PRESENTED FOR ASSESSMENT FOR ANY OTHER MODULE OR PIECE OF WORK WHICH ACCRUES CREDIT FOR THE AWARD FOR WHICH I AM CURRENTLY STUDYING OR FOR ANY OTHER AWARD.

DEREK THOMSON.

1.        INTRODUCTION:

                Fortunately, most of us will never endure the pain of having a kidney stone, but it it’s the most common disorder of the urinary tract. 10% of the western public will have a kidney stone, or renal calculi as it’s sometimes known, at one time in there lives. But if you are thinking that these are products of the modern lifestyle, then think again. Scientists have found evidence of renal calculi in an Egyptian mummy which was thought to be approximately 7000 years old.

                For sufferers of nephrolithiasis, or Renal Stone Disease, the pain can be unbearable, but most stones pass through the urinary system without needing a physician’s intervention. Some stones which cause other complications or lasting symptoms can be treated by various techniques, most of which, do not involve any surgery. And research provides us constantly with a better understanding of the many factors which promote stone formation.

2.        OVERVIEW OF THE KIDNEY AND URINARY TRACT:

        2.1        WHAT ARE THE KIDNEYS?

                The kidneys are the master chemists of the human body. In a normal body, there are two kidneys, one under each side of the spine under the lower ribs. They are reddish brown in color, are about the size of a clenched fist and are shaped like kidney beans. The kidneys remove extra water and wastes from the blood, converting it to urine. They also help stabilize salt concentration and other chemicals in the blood. Hormones that build strong bones and promote red blood cell formation are produced in the kidneys.        

        2.2        HOW DOES THE URINARY SYSTEM WORK?

                The urinary tract, or system, consists of the two kidneys, the ureters, the bladder and the urethra. Narrow tubes called ureters carry the waste from the blood, down to the bladder, which is a triangle-shaped chamber in the lower abdomen. The bladder is somewhat like a balloon. It has elastic walls which expand when filled with urine, and then these walls flatten together when the urine is passed out the body, through the urethra.

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FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 1 SHOWS THE KIDNEYS AS PART OF THE URINARY SYSTEM.


3.        CAUSES OF KIDNEY STONES:

        3.1        WHAT ARE KIDNEY STONES?

                Kidney stones are a mass of crystallized chemicals, which build up in the kidney. These masses can range from the size of a grain of sand, to the equivalent of a golf ball. Some stones stay in the kidney and produce no symptoms. Other stones can break away and travel down the urinary tract. If the stone is small enough, it can be passed out the body with very little ...

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