Urine is water and various wastes dissolved in it.
One of the waste materials is salt compounds (material formed by chemically bonding two or more chemical elements)
And the chemical elements found in the urine compounds are calcium, potassium, sodium, oxalate, uric acid, phosphate, etc.
If these particles get too high or water levels get too low, these compounds can come together and crystallise.
If the problem is not addressed (e.g., by consistently drinking large amounts of water), the crystals would continue to grow.
Over time, the crystals can become big enough to make a visible stone.
These visible stones can range from a few millimetres to a few centimetres (the biggest kidney stone ever found is 17cm in diameter).
Over 80% of kidney stones are calcium oxalate, i.e., made by coming together of calcium and oxalate compounds.
For people prone to kidney stones, doctors advise limiting foods rich in oxalate (e.g. potato chips, spinach, beet, etc.)
On the other hand, increasing the calcium intake can help as it binds with oxalate in the digestive tract before oxalate can reach the kidneys.
The crystallisation of compounds to make kidney stones can also happen because of certain medications and bacterial infections.
Several kidney stone treatments are available today.
Depending upon the size, the doctor may recommend medications (for up to 5 mm), sound wave treatment (5mm to 10mm), or invasive treatment (bigger stones).
