More people visit hospitals and clinics with severe pain - which is usually a sign that the stone is moving and happens more often in the winter
Winter has officially begun and with temperatures dropping every day, the cold weather may take a toll on your health. According to experts, apart from taking care of other organs like your heart, you also need to give special attention to your kidneys, which are prone to stone formation.
Kidney stones are often irregularly shaped formations made of mineral and acid salts that can travel into your ureter—the tube connecting your kidney and bladder—and lead to excruciating lower back pain and groin discomfort.
Why does the risk of stone formation increase in winter?
According to doctors, more people visit hospitals and clinics with severe pain, which is usually a sign that the stone is moving and happens more often in the winter season than at any other time of the year.
But why is that? Statistics say around 80 per cent of the stones are predominantly calcium-based. According to studies, your body appears to produce more calcium in your urine in the winter, and having too much calcium in your urine ups your chances of kidney stones.
Also, experts say in winter, people increase their consumption of many foods that are rich in oxalates or salt, like spinach, which leads to the development of kidney stones. Kidney stones hit you right when you least expect it. Just as you were planning to go to the park or toss around the football in the yard.
Kidney stones vary in size
Doctors say kidney stones are extremely small—some are even 2 to 3 millimetres wide—but can block and contract the ureter in an attempt to squeeze the stone through into the bladder. As the ureter kidney builds up pressure and stretches, this creates a severe stabbing discomfort in the lower back and/or groin and is often associated with nausea and vomiting.
Kidney stones vary in size—from as small as a grain of salt to as big as a golf ball—and affect all sexes almost equally. The smaller the stone, the more likely it can pass through your urinary tract without medical treatment.
Signs and symptoms of kidney stones
The most common symptom of kidney stones is pain in your lower back, belly, or side, which even extends from your groin to your side. It can be a dull pain or sharp and severe and is also called colicky pain because it can get worse in waves. A few other symptoms include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bloody pee
- Pain when you pee
- Inability to pee
- Feeling the urge to pee every 10 minutes
- Fever and chills
- Cloudy or foul-smelling pee
How to treat and prevent kidney stones in winter?
According to doctors, if you have had a stone once, there is more than a 50 per cent chance of developing another one within the next five years. This risk generally increases the older you get and so, while there is not a way to completely prevent kidney stones, you can do a few things to decrease your risk.
A few things you can do include:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables to make your urine less acidic
- Avoid too much salt and processed foods, which are high in sodium
- Drink lots of fluids, including water, especially in winter when hydration levels go down quickly. Experts recommend someone at risk for kidney stones should drink enough fluids to produce at least 2.5 litres of urine per day.
- Limit eating foods that are high in oxalates like spinach, wheat bran, tree nuts, and peanuts
- Eat more foods that are good sources of calcium.
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