Bladder stones can happen to anyone, including children. However, this disease is more common in men than women. For that, let's get to know the dangers of this disease so that you don't become one of its victims.
What are Bladder Stones?
Bladder stones are hard masses of minerals that are located in your bladder. They form when minerals in concentrated urine crystallize and form stones. This often happens when you have difficulty emptying your bladder completely.
If the stone is small, it can come out spontaneously and not be seen when passing through the urinary tract. There are no symptoms caused by patients who suffer from this disease. So it is not surprising that many patients are not aware of it.
Generally, bladder stones will continue to grow if not treated properly. When the stone gets bigger, the urinary tract will be blocked. So that it causes pain at the end of urination or even bloody urine.
Causes of Bladder Stones
Conditions that can trigger the formation of bladder stones are:
- Lack of drinking mineral water
- Long periods of lying down due to chronic illness
- Prostate enlargement
- Prolonged use of a urinary tube (catheter).
- History of kidney stones or bladder surgery
- Abnormal pouches that form in the wall of the bladder (diverticula)
- Bladder prolapse (cystocele)
- Diseases that can damage the nerves that control the bladder, such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, and stroke.
Bladder stones can also be triggered by prolonged dehydration, frequently consuming foods high in salt, consuming high doses of vitamin C, and suffering from gout.
Bladder Symptoms
Sometimes bladder stones, even large ones, don't cause problems. However, if the stones irritate the bladder wall or block the flow of urine, signs and symptoms include:
- Lower abdominal pain
- Pain at the end of urination
- Frequent urination
- Difficulty urinating or obstructed urine flow
- Blood in urine
- Urine is cloudy or unusually dark in color
How to Treat Bladder Stones
How to treat bladder stones will be adjusted to the size of the stone. If the stone that forms is small, usually the doctor will only advise the patient to increase fluid intake. This is done so that the stone comes out with urine.
But if the size of the stone is large, the doctor will perform several treatment methods to remove bladder calculi, such as:
- Open surgery or sectio alta , is usually performed on large bladder stones, reaching >5 cm in diameter
- Endoscopy (binocular), stones are broken using a laser or a tool like forceps.
- ESWL, using shock waves (rarely done)
This article was written by Dr. Gideon F. Parulian Tampubolon, Sp.U (Urology Specialist Doctor, EMC Grha Kedoya Hospital).