They’re usually just a few millimeters in size, but yes they can be oh-so-painful.
Yes, we are talking about two different stones, gallbladder stones (or gallstones) and kidney stones. Both the stone is formed in different organs of our body, but they are similar in many ways.
Since the sign and symptoms are the same for both Gallstones and Kidney stones many get confused and it’s a matter of fact that we think both are the same. The occurrence of kidney stone is more known among us then Gallstone, its means that the awareness about the kidney stone is more than Gallstones.
We will try to understand the difference between gallstone and kidney stones, with help from, Dr. Girish Nelivigi, General Surgery, Urology, and Andrology.
So let us try to understand the difference between the two:
- Kidney stones are made of calcium and other minerals that crystallize in the kidney whereas Gallstones are more of a solid lump than stone and are mode of cholesterol or pigments
- Women are more prone to getting Gallstones whereas men are prone to getting Kidney stones
- For kidney stones, it is good news that if the stones get down the renal canal, they end up being broken down and passing out of the body whereas if the gallstone gets down it can block the bile path. This can cause serious damage and emergency which is not good news
- Kidney stone can lead to blood in the urine whereas the gallstones can lead to jaundice and other complications
- Based on the size of kidney stone medication can be used for treatment whereas in gallstone surgeries are the only options. If the diagnosis confirms the presence of gallstone then the gallbladder is surgically removed
- Kidney stone formation can be avoided by developing healthy habits of taking regular fluid whereas for gallstone it is advised to take foods that are less in cholesterol.