Uric Acid Kidney Stones - How To Dissolve? 7 Rules

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Uric acid kidney stones

Uric acid stones are formations that are the easiest to dissolve with the help of drug therapy. The uric acid salts of which they are composed are effectively dissolved with the help of litholytic therapy preparations.

Content:

• How to identify uric acid stones?
• Role of urine pH in dissolving urate stones
• Dissolving urate stones with plain water
• Will lemon or cranberry juice dissolve urate stones?
• Is it safe to drink diuretic herbs?
• There is no sand in the kidneys
• Diet for urate kidney stones

How to identify uric acid stones?

X-ray examination is not able to diagnose urate stones due to their low density, but they are clearly distinguishable on ultrasound. The composition of the formation can be determined by examining it after surgical removal or independent exit from the urinary tract. It is possible to determine the composition of the stone in the body using diagnostic methods. If the pH of the urine deviates from the norm towards acidity, it is most likely a urate stone. Determine the exact density of the formation using computed tomography.

But CT scan is not necessary if there are the following signs:

• On ultrasound, the stone is visible;
• On x-ray, urate stone is not detected;
• Urine tests revealed a shift in pH towards acidic reaction.

If these signs coincide, it is worth trying to dissolve the stone. Most often, such formations occur in patients with impaired purine metabolism. For this reason, if urolithiasis is suspected, a study of the level of uric acid in the blood should be carried out.

Role of urine pH in dissolving urate stones

To dissolve urates, an alkaline drink is prescribed, which increases the level of acid-base balance. Citrate preparations are designed to convert urine from acidic to slightly acidic or alkaline. The dissolution of urate stones with the help of drug therapy takes from 2 months to six months.

To speed up this process, the following tactics are used - preliminary remote or contact endoscopic crushing of at least 2 cm in size, and subsequent dissolution of the remaining small fragments. Treatment is accompanied by plenty of drinking and adherence to a special diet.

Most often, patients seek medical help when the stone has moved from the place of its formation and moves from the kidney along the urinary tract. Movements are accompanied by acute pain due to renal colic, and the appearance of obstructive pyelonephritis. Since there is no time for the long process of dissolving a large stone, the stone is removed by any available method, and the remaining formations are then dissolved.

Dissolving urate stones with plain water

With an increased volume of fluid consumed, the pH of urine shifts towards a decrease in acidity. As a result, the concentration of salts decreases and small urate formations dissolve. If the stone has a mixed composition, or a constant elevated urine pH level cannot be maintained with the citrate preparations taken, then their further use does not make sense. If the treatment is successful, then citrate mixtures should be used further, but under the guidance of a urologist or nephrologist, since drugs for dissolving stones have pronounced side effects.

Note the important fact that alkalization of urine reliably dissolves only uric acid formations. Although it is possible to dissolve oxalate formations using citrate mixtures, in practice it is not so effective. As a rule, citrate preparations are taken for prophylaxis, after the crushing of calcium oxalate kidney stones.

Will lemon or cranberry juice dissolve urate stones?

No, these agents are not able to dissolve stones, citric acid only minimizes the absorption of calcium in the gastrointestinal tract. Abuse of such recommendations can lead to stomach bleeding and other negative consequences, including stomach ulcers.

Is it safe to drink diuretic herbs?

Uncontrolled intake of renal teas leads to dangerous consequences. The stone in the kidney, under their influence, can be moved at the most inopportune moment. As a result, an acute inflammatory process develops, the patient experiences acute pain in renal colic.

There is no sand in the kidneys

The patient is diagnosed with urolithiasis under the following conditions:

• The size of the stone is more than 0.5 cm;
• It has a dense structure;
• Ultrasound does not pass through the stone (there is an acoustic path).

In medical practice, the diagnosis of "sand in the kidneys" is not made. What is taken for "grains of sand" on an ultrasound is the inlaid papillae of the kidneys, blood vessels or compacted fiber. Do not drink diuretics at the first suspicion of "kidney sand". An ultrasound scan should be done every 6 months to determine the dynamics of changes in the renal structure and extraneous formations in it. If there is no growth of stones, most likely these are individual features of the structure of the kidney.

Diet for urate kidney stones

Diet is an important component of the treatment of urolithiasis. It is prescribed taking into account the general condition of the patient, the presence of somatic diseases. So, for example, with cardiovascular disorders, it is required to limit the amount of fluid entering the body. Patients suffering from diabetes should adjust the recommended diet according to their needs.

It is necessary to maintain a balance of substances that the body needs for normal functioning, and not to apply the diet for a long time. Otherwise, stones of a different composition will begin to form.

The basic principles of a diet in the presence of urate stones:

• Limitation of foods that provoke urolithiasis;
• The use of products that affect the change in urine response;
• An increase in the volume of fluid used to remove salt sediment.

For the therapeutic effect, products with a minimum of purines are recommended: bread, dishes from vegetables, fruits (with the exception of prohibited crops), dairy products, nuts, berries, cereals. Dishes from low-fat combs of meat and fish are allowed in boiled form, 1 egg per day, the use of butter or ghee.

Prohibited Products:

• Meat offal;
• Legumes, peanuts;
• Vegetables: cauliflower, sorrel, spinach;
• Fruits: raspberries, figs, cranberries;
• Mushrooms;
• Horseradish and mustard as a seasoning;
• Sweet pastries;
• Coffee, cocoa, hot chocolate;
• Refractory fats: beef, lamb, culinary;
• Canned food;
• Salty and spicy cheeses;
• Sausages.

With the patient's recovery, the diet is gradually adjusted, returning to the usual level.

Author of the article: Lebedev Andrey Sergeevich | Urologist

Education: Diploma in the specialty "Andrology" received after completing residency at the Department of Endoscopic Urology of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in the urological center of the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1 of JSC Russian Railways (2007). Postgraduate studies were completed here by 2010.