Final answer:
Urinary calculi or kidney stones are solid crystal formations in the urine due to highly concentrated minerals. Causes include dehydration and dietary factors, particularly low calcium intake, which increases urine oxalate. Larger stones can cause severe pain, nausea, vomiting, and hematuria by blocking the ureter.
Step-by-step explanation:
Urinary calculi, commonly known as kidney stones, are solid crystal aggregations of dissolved minerals in urine. They can form when substances like calcium, oxalate, and phosphorus become highly concentrated in urine. The most common type of kidney stone is composed of calcium oxalate crystals. There are two main causes of kidney stones:
- Dehydration: When the urine becomes concentrated due to lack of fluid intake, minerals can crystallize and stick together, forming stones.
- Dietary factors: Consumption of low-calcium diets can lead to a higher risk of kidney stones. As calcium intake decreases, oxalate absorption increases, which is then excreted into the urine by the kidneys and can promote calcium oxalate stone formation.
Stones may range in size from as small as grains of sand to as large as a golf ball. Larger stones may cause severe pain by blocking the ureter, leading to symptoms like intense flank, lower abdomen and groin pain, nausea, vomiting, and hematuria.