Bladder Stone

What is a Bladder Stone?

Bladder stones are hard clumps of minerals in your bladder that develop when the minerals in concentrated urine crystallise and for stones. This often happens when there is problem with completely emptying the bladder.

Small bladder stones may be expelled without treatment but sometimes, bladder stones require medications or surgery. If left untreated, bladder stones may lead to infections and other complications. Bladder stones aren't contagious and cannot be spread from one person to another.

What are the symptoms of a Bladder Stone?

Sometimes bladder stones cause no problems but if a bladder stone irritates the bladder wall or blocks the flow of urine, signs and symptoms you may experience include:

• Lower abdominal pain: May be associated with pain in the hip, back, genital area or genitalia 
• Pain during urination: You may experience a burning sensation when you pee or you may feel pain that comes and goes in the lower part of your abdomen.
• Difficulty urinating: You may have a difficult time starting to urinate and maintaining a strong flow. Sometimes your stream may stop and start.
• Frequent urge to urinate: You may feel as if you constantly need to urinate, even if you had just went
• Changes in the colour of urine: Your urine may look cloudy or dark, you may also notice blood in your urine.

What causes Bladder Stones?

Bladder stones are formed when urine sits in your bladder for too long, and the waste products in your urine clump together and form hard crystals. This usually happens when you are unable to completely empty your bladder.

What are the risk factors of Bladder Stones?

There are several conditions and factors that may increase your risk of developing bladder stones, such as:

• Bladder diverticula: Diverticula are pockets that may appear in hollow organs such as your intestines or bladder. These pockets may hold pee and make it hard to completely empty your bladder. Bladder diverticula may be congenital or develop later in life due to a disease or an enlarged prostate.
• Dehydration: Being hydrated helps to dilute the minerals in your pee and flush out your bladder. Not drinking enough fluids can result in the build up of minerals in your bladder, leading to bladder stones.
• Enlarged prostate: The prostate in men can get bigger as they age. This enlargement may partially block the urethra, the tube urine travels in to leave the body, and make it difficult to completely empty the bladder.
• Kidney stones: Bladder stones are similar to kidney stone. Sometimes a kidney stone may travel into your bladder and become lodged there, growing bigger.

How do you prevent Bladder Stones?

You may not be able to prevent bladder stones but you can take steps to lower your risk of developing them by drinking plenty of water. Fluids dilute minerals in your urine, making them less likely to clump together and form bladder stones. 

If you are over 50 and have an enlarged prostate, do speak to your healthcare provider on techniques or medications to help empty your bladder.

How is a Bladder Stone diagnosed?

Blood Test
A complete blood count blood test will be done to check for white blood cell increase due to infection.

Imaging Tests
Abdominal imaging tests are done with ultrasound or CT scan to check for inflammation, tumours or abscesses.

Urine Test
Urine tests may be done to rule out a urinary tract infection (UTI), kidney or bladder stones.