Do kidney stones grow larger?

Kidney stones require timely treatment. If not treated in time, the condition will worsen and cause other complications. Kidney stones are not a serious illness under normal circumstances, but if you do not pay attention to controlling your diet and develop good living habits, it is easy to cause recurrence of stones. When talking about stones, many people will first think of pain. Kidney stones can be unbearable when they occur.

Do kidney stones grow larger?

Kidney stones will grow bigger, especially if you don't pay attention to controlling your diet, which will cause the stones to become larger and larger, and the harm to your health will become greater and greater.

Potential dangers of kidney stones

Hazard 1: Affecting kidney function and even uremia

If kidney stones exist for a long time without treatment, they will cause the stones to stay at the junction of the renal pelvis and ureter and cause urinary tract obstruction. After urinary tract obstruction, the ureters and renal pelvis above the obstruction will expand and accumulate water, affecting renal function. If the blockage lasts for a long time, the entire kidney function may be lost and even lead to uremia.

Harm 2: Kidney tissue is replaced by fat tissue

The renal tissue of kidney stones and pyelonephritis may atrophy and be replaced by fatty tissue. The kidneys maintained their original shape but were generally smaller. The renal capsule is tightly adhered to the surface of the kidney, and the renal tissue atrophies and hardens. In severe cases, there is very little kidney tissue left, or it may disappear completely. The space between the renal parenchyma and the renal pelvis and calyces is filled with gray-yellow adipose tissue.

Hazard 3: Leading to renal failure

If the stones are allowed to develop, they may eventually lead to kidney failure, commonly known as uremia. Secondly, if ureteral stones block the ureter, the urine in the kidney cannot be discharged smoothly, which will cause kidney accumulation. Urine will accumulate in the kidney for a long time, leading to secondary infection and even uremia, threatening the patient's life.

Hazard 4: Urinary tract infection

Kidney stones usually contain many pathogens. If allowed to exist in a man's body for a long time, they will cause infection. Secondary infection of hydronephrosis may lead to pyonephrosis. Severe urinary tract infection may also cause sepsis and threaten a person's life. In addition, urinary tract infection can cause stones to increase rapidly.

Hazard 5: Nephrocalcinosis

Calcium deposits in renal tissue, often occurring in patients with hypercalcemia. Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, renal tubular acidosis and chronic pyelonephritis may have renal calcium precipitation. Calcium is mainly deposited in the medulla. When the disease is severe, calcium deposits may occur in the entire renal parenchyma, leading to interstitial fibrosis, glomerular sclerosis and tubular atrophy.

Hazard 6: Causing local damage

Small and mobile stones cause little damage to local tissues, while large and fixed staghorn stones can cause the epithelial cells of the renal calyx and renal pelvis to fall off, leading to ulcers, fibrous tissue hyperplasia, infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocytes, and even fibrosis.

Hazard 7: Renal insufficiency

When kidney stones are combined with urinary tract obstruction, especially bilateral urinary tract obstruction or severe infection on this basis, the patient may develop renal insufficiency. When the obstruction is relieved and/or the infection is effectively controlled, some patients. Renal function may improve or return to normal.

Hazard 8: Cancer

Generally speaking, small stones tend to move over a wider range and can easily abrade the urinary tract mucosa, causing bleeding and renal colic. Large stones can compress the urinary tract mucosa for a long time, causing epithelial shedding, tissue ulcers, and even adhesions between the stones and the ureteral wall. In particularly severe cases, they may even cause cancer.