Prevention
Kidney stones, by and large, are preventable. Prevention is a very important part of kidney stone management, especially in those who have has an earlier episode.
Once the kidney stones have been removed, laboratory tests need to be carried out to initiate further treatment. These tests include-
- Stone analysis- where the component that makes up the stone is identified
- Blood test for a complete serum stone profile. This includes analyzing serum calcium, uric acid, potassium, phosphate, bicarbonate, chloride, creatinine and albumin
- Analyzing 24 hour urine specimen. This includes looking for calcium, oxalate, citrate, potassium, magnesium, uric acid and sodium in the urine. The pH and the volume of urine must also be checked. If the serum calcium level is more than the normal value, further blood tests should be carried out to check for the parathyroid hormone (PTH) level. This is because increased serum calcium could indicate hyperparathyroidism.
All these tests helps the health specialist to prescribe appropriate medications to treat the stones and also to recommend dietary changes that would help to prevent further stone formation.
