Which is more painful gallstones or kidney stones

Gallstones and kidney stones — they sound similar, and they’re often easily confused. They’re both called stones, but the truth is that they are two very different conditions.

Gallstones and kidney stones differ in location, causes, symptoms, and treatment. But they do have one thing in common: abdominal pain. If you’re suffering sharp, intense pain in your abdomen, it’s crucial to know the difference between the two.

At Stone Relief Center, W. Cooper Buschemeyer, III, MD, and our team specialize in treating kidney stones. We offer the latest in kidney stone treatments and pain management to give you relief, fast.

Understanding gallstones

Your gallbladder is a small organ located on the right side of your abdomen below your liver. Its job is to hold bile, a digestive fluid, and release it into your small intestine.

Sometimes, fluids inside your gallbladder harden into deposits called gallstones. Gallstones can be caused by cholesterol buildup or high levels of bilirubin in bile. They range in size, with some growing as large as golf balls. 

About 10-15% of Americans have gallstones at some point in their lives. Gallstones don’t always cause symptoms, but when they do, symptoms can include:

• Sudden, intense pain in the upper right or center of the abdomen
• Back pain between shoulder blades
• Pain in the right shoulder
• Nausea or vomiting

Gallstones are more common in women than in men. Gallstones that cause painful symptoms don’t go away independently, and the most common treatment is gallbladder removal surgery.

Recognizing kidney stones

You have two kidneys. They’re located on either side of your spine, just below your ribcage. Your kidneys filter waste from your blood, and that waste becomes urine.

Kidney stones form when your kidneys collect higher-than-normal levels of certain minerals, salts, and other substances. The most common types of kidney stones are made from calcium, oxalate, and phosphate. 

Unlike gallstones, kidney stones are more common in men than women. An estimated 19% of men will experience kidney stones in their lifetime, compared to about 9% of women.

Kidney stones generally don’t cause symptoms when they form. But when they move inside your kidneys or move into your ureter, it’s often painful. 

Symptoms of kidney stones include:

• Sharp pain in your side or back, below the ribcage
• Radiating pain in lower abdomen or groin
• Bloody or cloudy urine
• Pain with urination
• Nausea or vomiting

Because the kidneys are connected to your bladder and your urethra through your urinary system, kidney stones can exit your body on their own — unlike gallstones. However, kidney stones can be excruciating, and large ones may not pass on their own.

Treating kidney stones

At Stone Relief Center, Dr. Buschemeyer and our team are experts in treating kidney stones. We use extensive diagnostic testing to evaluate kidney stones and develop an effective treatment plan.

Even small kidney stones can take several weeks to pass naturally. We can recommend at-home care, such as drinking plenty of water and managing discomfort with over-the-counter pain relievers. There are also medications available that can speed up the stone’s movement through your urinary tract.

Large kidney stones may require more advanced treatment to pass. We offer various non-invasive kidney stone treatments like extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and minimally invasive surgery, including ureteroscopy, to treat large stones and stop your discomfort.

Find relief from your pain at Stone Relief Center. Call us at 281-674-8021, request an appointment online, or send our team a message today.

Occurrence of Kidney stones is governed by a number of factors like dehydration, obesity, calcium supplements, diet, hereditary, age, digestive diseases, hyperuricemia, pregnancy and ethnicity (Asians and Caucasians have higher propensity).

Why Do Gallstones Develop?

Occurrence of gallstones is governed by a number of factors like age, ethnicity (Natives American Indians have higher probability), obesity, crash diets, oral contraceptives, heredity, high fat diet, and statin drug.

Symptoms

Kidney stones common symptoms include pain in abdomen, groin or flank. There might also be hematuria (blood in urine), nausea, fever and chills in case of infection.

Gallstones are usually asymptomatic but in certain cases there might be pain below ribs, back and right shoulder, nausea, sweating, restlessness and fever.

Stone Characteristics

Size of gallstones vs kidney stones

Gallstones vary in size and shape. They are usually small but can grow to be as large as a golf ball. The gallbladder may contain a single large stone or many small stones. Kidney stones also vary in size. Once a kidney stone grows past 3 mm in diameter, it can obstruct the ureter. A vast majority of small kidney stones (less than 5 mm in diameter) pass spontaneously through urination. For larger kidney stones (5 to 10mm diameter), only about half pass spontaneously.

Types of Stones

The stones formed are usually mixed types with one predominant component from which they derive their names. Kidney stones are divided into 4 types: calcium stones, struvite stones, uric acid stones and cysteine stones. Cysteine stones are rare and found in patients suffering from cystinuria, cystinosis, and Fanconi syndrome.

Gallstones are of 2 types: cholesterol gallstones and pigment gallstones (bilirubin). Pigment gallstones are common among people suffering from liver disease, infected bile tubes or blood disorders.

Stone composition

Kidney stones are composed of minerals and acid salts.

Gallstones are composed of cholesterol, calcium bilirubinate, calcium carbonate.

Diagnosis

Kidney stones can be diagnosed by CT scan, ultrasound and intravenous pyelogram. The medical terminlogy for kidney stones is Nephrolithiasis (from the Greek nephro- (kidney) + lith- (stone) + iasis- (process).

Gallstones are diagnosed by CT scan, cholangiography, cholescintigraphy, blood cholesterol test, and jaundice. The presence of stones in the gallbladder is referred to as cholelithiasis (from the Greek chol- (bile) + lith- (stone) + iasis- (process).

Treatment

Kidney stones are treated by pain control medications, lithotripsy, inducing polyurea, and surgery.

Gallstones are treated by cholecystectomy, ursodeoxycholic acid, ERCP, and lithotripsy. Surgical removal of gallstone does not cause any major changes in digestive process.

Prevention

Kidney stones can be prevented by drinking more water and avoiding food with high oxalate content.

Gallstones can be prevented by controlling your weight, eating healthy (avoid saturated fats, sugar, carbs) and exercising.

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