PT health Life – Bladder stones occur more often in men than in women. Stones formed in the bladder are often large in size due to long-term accumulation of stone residue from urine in the bladder.
Bladder stones are hard mineral masses that form in the bladder. They develop when minerals in urine concentrate, crystallize and form stones.
Small bladder stones may resolve without treatment, but sometimes bladder stones require medication or surgery. If left untreated, bladder stones can lead to infection and other complications.
1. Warning signs of bladder stones
There are many causes of bladder stones, including:
Prostate enlargement can cause bladder stones in men. An enlarged prostate can block the flow of urine, preventing the bladder from emptying completely.
Nerve damage can also cause bladder stones. Normally, nerves carry messages from the brain to the bladder muscles, directing the bladder muscles to contract or relax. If these nerves are damaged by a stroke, spinal cord injury, or other health problems, your bladder may back up with urine. This is called a neurogenic bladder.
Sometimes urinary tract infections or pelvic radiation therapy, can lead to bladder stones. Stones that form in the kidney are not the same as bladder stones. They develop in different ways. But small kidney stones can travel down the ureters into the bladder and, if not expelled, can develop into bladder stones.
Sometimes bladder stones – even large ones – cause no symptoms. But if a stone irritates the bladder wall or blocks the flow of urine, signs and symptoms may include:
- Lower abdominal pain.
- Pain when urinating.
- Frequent urination.
- Difficulty urinating or interrupted urine flow.
- There is blood in the urine.
- Urine is cloudy or unusually dark in color.
2. Complications are common when having bladder stones
When suffering from bladder stones, if not treated promptly and properly, the patient may face complications such as:
- Lower abdominal pain: Patients often feel sharp pain in the lower abdomen due to bladder irritation and stones stuck in the bladder neck. Lower abdominal pain can spread to the perineum or the tip of the external genitals, causing discomfort for the patient.
- Nephritis : Due to upstream bacterial infection from the bladder, kidney function can be impaired. This complication can greatly affect health and is very difficult to treat.
- Cystitis: When the stones are small, the patient may not see any problems. Bladder stones that grow larger than 2cm often have symptoms of bladder irritation such as frequent urination, painful urination, interrupted urination or hematuria. If there is no early treatment, bladder inflammation can become chronic, leading to bladder atrophy, bladder fistula, and bladder cancer.
- Bladder fistula: Large bladder stones can cause bladder fistula, perineal or vaginal fistula in women. Urine leaks continuously through the fistula, causing infection in the vaginal or anal area. Patients will experience many inconveniences in daily activities.
3. Diagnosis and treatment of bladder stones
During a clinical examination, the doctor will pay attention to the patient’s lower abdomen to check for signs of urine stagnation in the bladder. Commonly used tests when diagnosing bladder stones include: Abdominal ultrasound; Complete urinalysis; X-ray… Other tests: Cystoscopy; Measure bladder pressure.
The principles in treating bladder stones are: Removing bladder stones; Treat the cause of bladder stones to avoid recurrence.
Using medicine to treat bladder stones helps relieve pain, is anti-inflammatory, and is a diuretic. Most symptomatic bladder stones require surgery. If the stone is too large (> 4cm), or the stone is hard and cannot be broken, the doctor may consider open surgery to remove the stone.
3. Bladder stone prevention
To limit the risk of bladder stones, you need to drink plenty of water. You should drink 2-3 liters of water every day, helping the body eliminate toxins and waste from the kidneys and bladder, thereby avoiding precipitation. create stones.
Priority should be given to foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free milk that should be added to the menu every day. In addition, you should limit fried foods and do not use processed foods or canned foods.
In people with increased uric acid in the blood, foods rich in protein should be limited: Protein has the ability to accumulate uric acid in the blood, causing urate salt crystals to form and accumulate in the bladder. At that time, the patient will have a high risk of getting stones.
Besides, increase foods rich in fiber: Foods containing abundant fiber that you should supplement daily are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans… Avoid using stimulants and limit use beer, alcohol, cigarettes and other stimulants. Because these chemicals accumulate in the body, they can easily form stones. When there are signs of stones in the urinary system, patients should quickly see a doctor and get early treatment.
