Renal colic is a typical manifestation of urolithiasis, the most common kidney disease. Approximately 70-75% of patients in urological hospitals are hospitalized with just such a diagnosis.
In fact, we are talking about several diseases that have a different origin and a different path of development, but are united by one manifestation - renal colic. We received the first descriptions of this ailment from Hippocrates, but until now, scientists have not been able to solve the riddle: why do some particles form that do not obey the general movement of urine, but immediately grow from a crystal to clinically significant sizes?
The answer to this question would probably solve this problem, but today we can only state the steady growth of this disease. Moreover, if earlier it affected mainly mature people, now it is often diagnosed even in twenty-year-olds.
The acute pain, so characteristic of this disease, is by no means caused by the “scratching” of the calculus that has moved, as many people think. The mechanism of its occurrence is associated with a violation of the outflow of urine as a result of tissue edema and venous stasis. The swollen kidney tissue presses on the fibrous capsule, which has a mass of pain receptors, which causes such a sharp syndrome.
Violation of the outflow can be caused by the passage of stone, small stones (in the form of sand), a blood clot, mucus or pus. The cause can also be a tumor process, or even inflammation that arose in neighboring organs: all this can be a prerequisite for squeezing the ureter. And yet, the most common reason is precisely a blockage of the urinary tract with stone.
Manifestations of renal colic
Most often, it all starts unexpectedly, without any warning symptoms. The pain appears from the back, initially unsharp, pulling. However, very soon it begins to grow and gradually moves to the side, and then to the stomach, "sliding" down the ureter.
The pain can be localized not only in the lower abdomen, it can irradiate in the groin or in the genital area, often gives to the thigh, lower back and in the costal zone. If we talk about the intensity of suffering, they are simply "legendary": people roll on the floor, almost losing consciousness, being on the verge of shock.
No change in body position can reduce the glow, reduce these painful sensations, often this can only be done with narcotic drugs. Acute pain with renal colic causes bloating, muscle cramping, and bowel movements become difficult. A person is ready to accept even poison to stop this nightmare!
This is really an extremely unpleasant symptom - renal colic. How to relieve pain? The solution of this issue becomes a mandatory and paramount task. However, this is not the only manifestation of the disease. Patients may experience nausea, often vomiting, the temperature can sometimes be even very high.
The face turns pale, sweat appears, the consciousness is clouded, the heart rate changes, the pressure rises. Urination is frequent and painful, but may be impaired until complete anuria. Usually the duration of an attack of colic does not exceed a day, however, there are cases when it lasts a long time, with periods of remission and subsequent deterioration.
Renal colic: how to relieve pain during an attack?
Briefly outline the strategy of action, it will be expressed in three directions:
- The use of heat.
- Analgesics.
- Antispasmodics.
Let's start with the heat. It would seem that a hot bath to the waist with water at the maximum temperature that the patient is able to withstand, a heating pad on the lumbar region or mustard plasters - and the issue has been resolved. However, not all so simple. There are a number of factors, and they must be taken into account.
For example, you can not use a hot bath with cardiac pathology or high temperature. This method is also excluded in conditions accompanied by impaired consciousness. In addition, there should be a firm belief that this is renal colic, and not peritonitis caused by inflammation of the appendix, or something else that does not allow the use of heat.
If the renal colic is accurately established, then a hot sitz bath is a very good way to relieve pain. If there are contraindications to the bath, you can use mustard plasters or a heating pad.
Of the painkillers, the most commonly used are Analgin or Baralgin. Any drug administered as an injection has a stronger and faster effect than tablets.
However, you should not take painkillers for renal colic before a doctor's examination. This can “blur” the picture and make it difficult to make a correct diagnosis.
Antispasmodics for renal colic obey the same requirement. If the diagnosis is not in doubt, then their reception will help to expand, relax the walls of the ureter, facilitating the flow of urine and thereby improving the patient's condition. Usually, the No-Shpa drug is well suited for this purpose, and you need to take a large dose of the drug - up to four tablets.
There are times when all these remedies are not able to relieve pain. In this situation, a doctor who has narcotic drugs in his arsenal, for example, the Promedol medication, can help. For a person experiencing renal colic, how to relieve pain is the main issue, however, you still need to start with an accurate diagnosis.
Examinations to clarify the diagnosis
Symptoms of colic may resemble an "acute abdomen." This concept includes a whole group of diseases. In addition to appendicitis, hepatic colic looks similar, it is also necessary to exclude acute cholecystitis and pancreatitis.
An error can also occur in the presence of peptic ulcer of the duodenum or stomach. Some vascular diseases, intestinal obstruction, not to mention female ailments, have almost the same symptoms. Symptoms of renal colic in women have their own specifics, therefore a special section is devoted to this topic.
In addition to the “acute abdomen,” a hernia of the intervertebral disc, radiculitis, herpes zoster, or even ordinary intercostal neuralgia give a similar picture. Almost complete coincidence of symptoms occurs with intestinal obstruction.
Many of these diseases require emergency action. So the task facing the doctor, first seeing the patient, is not at all simple. That is why one should never resist the offer to go to the hospital and conduct a comprehensive examination there. With renal colic, this is an absolute, one hundred percent indication.
In this case, an incorrect diagnosis may well cost a living. For example, the ureter could be completely blocked by a stone. This can not be determined by external examination, but it may well lead to kidney necrosis, its acute failure. A catheter insertion or surgery and organ drainage may be required. It is unlikely that all this will be possible to do without leaving home.
In a hospital setting, the doctor can prescribe a variety of examinations as necessary, as well as provide the right care for renal colic. However, first of all, they usually do general tests, clarifying the blood chemistry and, of course, ultrasound of the excretory system, and possibly X-rays.
"Female" specificity of renal colic
The symptoms of colic described above are not sexually colored, except for the fact that sometimes irradiation of pain in men occurs in the scrotum. For women, pain in the labia is more characteristic. Otherwise, all this is universal.
At the same time, the same symptoms of renal colic in women can indicate completely different diseases, which men, by virtue of their nature, cannot be. For successful treatment, it is extremely important to make a clear differentiation when diagnosing a patient in order to exclude the following reasons:
- rupture of the fallopian tube;
- apoplexy of the ovary;
- tube abortion;
- ectopic pregnancy;
- torsion of the legs of the ovary.
All of these conditions can cause a blockage in the ureter and create a typical picture of colic. In this case, the following may be warning signs:
- cold sweat;
- pallor;
- low pressure;
- tachycardia;
- dizziness.
Of particular difficulty for treatment is renal colic in women, which occurs during pregnancy. In itself, this condition does not create conditions for the development of urolithiasis, however, it is during this period that exacerbations of all chronic diseases very often occur.
This applies especially to the kidneys, which are especially actively involved in the process of creating a new life and are forced to work with a vengeance. Manifestations of the ailment are common, but the arsenal of funds for the relief of pain is seriously limited.
Firstly, hot baths are excluded, as well as other thermal procedures on the kidney area - this can lead to premature birth. For obvious reasons, narcotic painkillers for renal colic in this case are also not applicable.
At the same time, prolonged intense pain in itself can provoke a premature onset of labor, so the only right way out is to see a doctor immediately. In the most extreme case, it is possible to take antispasmodics: No-Shpa, Papaverin, or Baralgin drugs , in the form of injections.
What should be done first with renal colic?
Of course, relieve pain, save a person from nightmare torment. This is the first thought that may come to mind, but it is not the best. First aid for renal colic should be provided by a doctor.
Moreover, prior to his arrival, it is advisable to refrain from any attempts at home treatment in order to avoid complications and keep all the symptoms in pronounced form, without interfering with the correct diagnosis.
This is especially important in complicated cases: colic of one remaining kidney, old age, bilateral attack, poor general condition, heart disease, etc. What should I do if the doctor is unavailable for any reason? How to relieve renal colic in this case? In principle, the basic methods have already been described.
It is only important to add that in cases where there are doubts about the true causes of pain, the use of antispasmodics would be the least dangerous, but if there is no doubt, you can use a heating pad, bath, analgesics. Some experts also recommend adding half a tablet of Nitroglycerin to the tongue.
To stop the attack in a hospital, novocaine blockade, acupuncture, electropuncture, physiotherapy are also used. If all measures do not bring the desired result, urine excretion will be restored using a catheter. It is also possible preliminary destruction of the stone using special equipment.
It is in a hospital environment that it is easier and more logical to undergo a thorough examination in urology after the attack is eliminated. In any case, it is necessary to remember the serious danger of self-medication in the presence of such a formidable symptom as renal colic. How to relieve pain, how much and what kind of examination to do, how to treat - all this should be decided only by the doctor.
Renal colic. ICD-10
To date, in Russia at the level of the Ministry of Health, a standard for the treatment of this disease has been approved. This is a step-by-step developed system in accordance with which assistance is provided to patients with similar symptoms. A system was created based on the data of the International Classification of Diseases of the Tenth revision. It provides all the methods of diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In accordance with the ICD, renal colic has the code N23.
How to eat with renal colic
After removing the pain, nausea gradually disappears, and the ability to eat returns to the patient. It is important to understand that a diet for renal colic is very important for a quick recovery. Only a doctor can give specific recommendations on products, since he knows the chemical composition of calculi. As for the general recommendations, they are as follows:
- frequent, fractional meals, small portions;
- Do not overeat, especially at night;
- exclude spicy, fried, smoked, canned foods;
- do not expose food to prolonged heat treatment;
- it’s better to steam or cook, you can bake.
Diet for renal colic is relevant during an illness. With the restoration of the working regime of the kidneys, you should expand the range of products, guided by the recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet.
And this means that, firstly, the products should be enough to provide all the needs of the body, but not too much.
Secondly, food should be varied, with the obligatory inclusion of “live” products: vitamins, minerals, fiber.
Thirdly, moderation in the consumption of tasty, but not healthy products.
And finally, the most important thing: to provide the body with a large amount of truly pure water without any impurities. Many believe that compliance with this condition alone can completely improve the body.
Alternative methods of treatment
Assistance with renal colic is offered to us by numerous traditional healers. Although they, first of all, advise you to see a doctor. But in the process of waiting, you can attach a leaf of cabbage to the lower back or drink an infusion of birch buds.
Field horsetail has established itself well, and knotweed helps a lot with such an ailment. With colic, a decoction is prepared from a mixture of centaury and sage, it is even better to add chamomile there. You can drink such a drug for a long time, up to two months. But horsetail can not only be drunk, but also added to the bath.
Compresses from hot potatoes or a decoction of oats are also suitable. In general, there are many recipes. If you add a diet to all this, success is guaranteed. But on one condition: please call a doctor!
Well, but quite seriously, it is unlikely that alternative methods will withstand competition with modern medicine in the treatment of the acute phase of the disease. But then they removed the pain attack, conducted a survey, gave recommendations on nutrition, and prescribed medications. Now we need to work hard to cleanse our kidneys of unnecessary "trash", dissolve and expel everything that should not be there. Here at this stage, the experience of traditional medicine is simply irreplaceable.
For centuries, polished collections of herbs and medicinal plants will help to completely say goodbye to the disease, and at the same time restore the disturbed metabolism. The best thing is to find an experienced herbalist and, being patient, carry out the course of treatment to the end, as it should.
And after that, be sure to go through a second examination and compare the results. What can you do? In this world, nothing is given to us without labor, but health is worth it!
How to Prevent Renal Colic
The formation of stones is often triggered by diseases of the endocrine glands. Also, an excess of vitamin D in the body or a deficiency of A contributes to the deposition of salts. Not the last role in this process is played by diseases of the digestive system. Nutrition for renal colic, or rather, the principles of such nutrition, should be applied after recovery, in order to prevent a recurrence of the disease.
Limiting human mobility is also a risk factor. The hot climate creates conditions for dehydration and, consequently, an increase in the concentration of urine. Even the frequent use of mineral water becomes a source of introducing salts into the excretory system. Drinking clean water daily, in large quantities, but in small portions, can play a decisive role in defeating the disease.
Sanatoriums and resorts for urolithiasis
Many have heard about how well mineral spas help to recover from kidney disease. However, each water acts only on a certain type of stones. In the presence of phosphates, you can go where there is acidic mineral water:
- Truskavets.
- Kislovodsk.
- Zheleznovodsk.
If urate is detected in your urine, then you need alkaline water :
- Borjomi.
- Zheleznovodsk.
- Truskavets.
- Essentuki.
When oxolate stones are recommended:
- Pyatigorsk.
- Essentuki.
- Zheleznovodsk.