Myths and facts about kidney stones In this article, we will describe myths and facts about kidney stones. Kidney stones (also called nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis) are very common, occuring in over 10% of the population, getting more common with age. They affect approximately 1 in 5 males and 1 in 10 females by age 70 […]
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10 kidney stone myths In this article we will describe 10 kidney stone myths. 1. Big Myth Number One – Everyone must drink 3-4 litres of water a day. And this helps to ‘flush out the kidneys’ which prevents kidney stones and UTIs Many sources of information (mostly non-medical and of dubious reliability) dogmatically assert
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What is calciphylaxis? Calciphylaxis is a rare yet serious condition most commonly seen in people having dialysis (estimated to effect less than 1% of dialysis patients per year). Calciphylaxis happens when small blood vessels in and around the skin become blocked by a build-up of phosphate and calcium. This causes painful skin ulcers which can
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What is Goodpasture syndrome? Key points Goodpasture syndrome is a very rare autoimmune disorder in which your body mistakenly makes antibodies that attack the lungs and kidneys It occurs more often in people aged 20 to 30 or older than age 60 years. It is more common in men It can be fatal if not
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Renal thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) This article focuses on both thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in general and renal causes in particular. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a diverse group of conditions that classically present with microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia (MAHA) and thrombocytopaenia together with organ dysfunction (including the kidneys in some cases). MAHA is a subgroup of haemolytic anaemias
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What causes acute interstitial nephritis (AIN)? Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is an acute inflammation of the ‘tubulo-interstitium’ of the kidney. This is mainly in the medulla (inner area) of the kidney. In other words, it is not in the glomeruli (mini-filtering units), which are mainly in the cortex (outer area) of the kidney. It is
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What is loin pain haematuria syndrome? Loin pain haematuria syndrome (also known as LPHS) is a combination of loin (i.e. kidney) pain and haematuria, which means blood in the urine. The loin pain may be a continuous dull ache, or intermittent, coming on only occasionally and could be from one side or both. Typical site
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Where do you feel kidney pain? Key facts Kidney pain is usually felt in your mid-back, under the ribs, to either side of your spine It can be caused by kidney stones, kidney infection or other kidney problems Avoiding urinary infections can help prevent kidney pain. Where are the kidneys? Your kidneys sit on either
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What is lactic acidosis and what causes it? What is lactic acidosis? Lactic acidosis refers to lactic acid build up in the bloodstream. It is one of the causes of something called ‘metabolic acidosis’. Lactic acid is produced when oxygen levels become low in cells within the areas of the body where metabolism takes place;
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What is thin membrane nephropathy? Thin basement membrane nephropathy (TMN; or thin basement membrane nephropathy, TBMN) is an inherited glomerular due to diffuse thinning of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) from a width of 300 to 400 nm in normal subjects to 150 to 225 nm. It was previously called ‘benign familial haematuria’. Electron microgram
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