Medullary Sponge Kidney
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Medullary Sponge Kidney
If you suffer from multiple kidney stones and kidney stones that are in the collecting tubules, you may have a kidney disease called Medullary Sponge Kidney, also known as MSK or Cacchi-Ricci disease. Here is an ultrasound picture of one of my kidneys showing the classic clusters of stones in the renal pyramids. This has adversely affected my life and the life of many of my "internet" friends that I have met while learning to deal with this disease. It does cause chronic pain in many people.
Medullary sponge kidney (MSK) is a birth defect of the tiny tubes inside the kidneys. In a normal kidney, urine flows through these tubules as it is being formed. In MSK, tiny sacs called cysts form in the medulla-the inner part of the kidney-creating a sponge-like appearance. Urine pools in these cysts, stagnates and forms stones, sometimes hundreds or thousands of tiny stones, slowing the filtering rate of the kidneys.
Photo Credit. (This is my ultrasound)
Medullary sponge kidney (MSK) is a birth defect of the tiny tubes inside the kidneys. In a normal kidney, urine flows through these tubules as it is being formed. In MSK, tiny sacs called cysts form in the medulla-the inner part of the kidney-creating a sponge-like appearance. Urine pools in these cysts, stagnates and forms stones, sometimes hundreds or thousands of tiny stones, slowing the filtering rate of the kidneys.
Photo Credit. (This is my ultrasound)
Table of Contents
- Kidney Stones
- Symptoms
- What Will MSK Do?
- Share your experiences here
- How Many People Have MSK?
- Prevention
- Pain Control
- Diet
- Kidney Stones are Concentrated in the Renal Pyramids
- MSK and Pregnancy
- What Age Were You Diagnosed With MSK?
- Kidney without MSK
- Kidney with MSK
- Diagnosing MSK
- A Treatment for Us
- For More Information or Support
- Glossary
- Books To Help You
- Products To Consider
- Recommended Retailers
- About Me
Symptoms
If you have MSK you may be asymptomatic or you may suffer from kidney pain and frequent kidney stones. I have back pain in the kidney area most of the time and when I am passing a stone I have flank pain and pain that radiates up my side to my jaw and behind my ear. Some doctors do not believe we have pain when there is not a stone in the ureter, but I have met many people with MSK online that suffer greatly.
For many people, MSK causes no symptoms.
The first sign that a person has MSK is usually a UTI or kidney stone. UTIs and kidney stones share many of the same symptoms:
burning or painful urination
pain in the back, lower abdomen, or groin
cloudy, dark, or bloody urine
foul-smelling urine
fever and chills
vomiting
People who experience these symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible.
For many people, MSK causes no symptoms.
The first sign that a person has MSK is usually a UTI or kidney stone. UTIs and kidney stones share many of the same symptoms:
burning or painful urination
pain in the back, lower abdomen, or groin
cloudy, dark, or bloody urine
foul-smelling urine
fever and chills
vomiting
People who experience these symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible.
What Will MSK Do?
MSK can cause blood in urine; kidney stones; urinary tract infections, and severe chronic pain.
Share your experiences here
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S. Denning
Jul 28, 2011 @ 12:37 pm | delete
- I hurt almost everyday, not debilitating, but back & flank pain without stones showing up. I almost always have blood in my urine as well. My heating pad is my best friend. No one understands it. Ask for pain meds without a stone showing up... & you are labeled drug seeker.
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ashlee
Apr 8, 2012 @ 3:54 pm | delete
- story of my life
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How Many People Have MSK?
In the USA about 1 person per 5,000 to 20,000 people have MSK.
Prevention
How to prevent more stones from forming.
Since you probably already have many, many kidney stones in your kidneys, a priority should be to prevent even more stones from forming.
A nephrologist should help you with this.
There are medications you can take to lower your uric acid levels and correct the pH of your urine.
Diet can effect kidney stone production too.
A very important step in prevention is finding out what your stones are made of. This is done by collecting a stone and having it sent to a lab for analysis. You collect a stone by filtering your urine. I have a link to a urine filter near the bottom of this page.
Having a 24 hour collection of your urine analyzed is another important way to find out how to prevent more kidney stones from forming. When you collect your urine for 24 hours, they find out what is out of balance and the nephrologist will help you balance your urine to get it back to normal. A urine collecting "hat" makes this unpleasant task much easier. There is a link to a hat near the bottom of this page.
A nephrologist should help you with this.
There are medications you can take to lower your uric acid levels and correct the pH of your urine.
Diet can effect kidney stone production too.
A very important step in prevention is finding out what your stones are made of. This is done by collecting a stone and having it sent to a lab for analysis. You collect a stone by filtering your urine. I have a link to a urine filter near the bottom of this page.
Having a 24 hour collection of your urine analyzed is another important way to find out how to prevent more kidney stones from forming. When you collect your urine for 24 hours, they find out what is out of balance and the nephrologist will help you balance your urine to get it back to normal. A urine collecting "hat" makes this unpleasant task much easier. There is a link to a hat near the bottom of this page.
Pain Control
Pain control can be a real trial with MSK. Your kidneys might hurt even when you are not passing a stone. It is sometimes hard to find a doctor that believes your pain is real and will treat it.When you are passing a kidney stone or one is stuck in your ureter, it is easier for the doctor to believe you are in pain because they usually can see the stone with imaging (CAT scan, Xray or Ultra Sound).
Sometimes a muscle relaxant will help when taken with a pain killer. Your body probably is all tensed up from the pain and that makes the pain worse.
Photo of the kidney stone is by Ted Johnson http://www.flickr.com/people/tedsblog/ used by Creative Commons license. Thank you Ted.
Diet
Drink More Water!
The thing we are told when we first have a kidney stone is DRINK MORE WATER! That is truly crucial. Studies have shown that drinking up to 1/3 cup of lemon juice concentrate a day (Dilute it in water to make lemonade) can help prevent more stone formation. Use a straw to protect your tooth enamel.My urologist and nephrologist both have told me things to avoid.
Oxalates,salt, purines, colas, tea, alcohol are common things people are told to reduce or avoid.
Online I have heard that people with MSK have had successfully lowered their pain with a vegetarian diet.
When you can have a stone evaluated, you will get a better idea what to avoid.
My urologist is adamant that I avoid Coke, Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Really any dark soda or pop.
Photo by Creative Commons License Attribution Some rights reserved by stevendepolo.
“You can have pain in your kidneys without passing a stone. Many of my friends do! I do too!”
Kidney Stones are Concentrated in the Renal Pyramids
The renal pyramids have tiny collecting ducts that are misshapen and allow urine to pool in them. Then minerals that are in the urine can precipitate out and allow kidney stones to begin forming right in the ducts. The ultrasound has a very definite look to it with MSK. Here I have placed a kidney diagram over one of my ultrasound pictures so you can see how perfectly the areas with stones match up with the renal pyramids.
Photo Credit copyright 2008 Nancy Giordano
MSK and Pregnancy
More women than men seem to have MSK and many times pregnancy is when it first becomes symptomatic. Whether it is the added strain a pregnancy puts on the kidneys or just having them "squished" out of place is not known.I was able to have 3 children. I had my first kidney stone a week after my oldest was born and was hospitalized with a kidney infection after my second kidney stone when she was 18 months. I did not have anymore trouble until I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter. I had gall stones and kidney stones throughout the last 3 months of the pregnancy. I was diagnosed with MSK 6 weeks after she was born. I did not have any symptoms during my 3rd pregnancy. As you can see, each pregnancy is different.
Photo used by Creative Commons license Attribution by spaceodissey
What Age Were You Diagnosed With MSK?
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Kidney without MSK
Kidney with MSK
Diagnosing MSK
IVP(An intravenous pyelogram ) used to be the way to diagnose MSK. Now other ways are more common.Ultrasound is one way to get the diagnosis of MSK. Another way is by CT scan. I was diagnosed during a retrograde ureteroscopy.
Clusters of calcifications are noted in the renal pyramids to indicate MSK.
Clusters of calcifications are noted in the renal pyramids to indicate MSK.
A Treatment for Us
Dr. Wolf, at The University of Michigan, has developed a procedure to remove the stones from the collecting tubules without damaging the kidneys. It is called URETEROSCOPIC LASER PAPILLOTOMY.
For More Information or Support
- What is Medullary Sponge Kidney
- A straightforward description of MSK. If you are in pain, do not believe it is always benign.
- Oh No, A Kidney Stone
- Everything you wanted to know about kidney stones, from my point of view
- MedHelp.org's Medullary Sponge Kidney Disease Community
- A place to talk about MSK with other's with MSK.
Glossary
Terms and Acronyms Defined
What do all these things mean????
Click on the blue word to go to an external webpage that gives a thorough explanation.
Click on the blue word to go to an external webpage that gives a thorough explanation.
- CT or CAT Scan
- Computer guided X-rays that make a cross-section image of the body.
- IVP
- A series of x-rays of the kidneys and urinary tract that use an intravenous dye.
- Nephrologist
- A doctor that specializes in the kidney. They can help you with the composition of your stone and diet and medications to prevent more stones.
- Oxalate
- Oxalate is found in many kidney stones. Some people try to limit their intake of oxalates to prevent future stones.
- Nephrocalcinosis
- When the kidney has a large number of calcium deposits in it.
- Purines
- Foods to avoid if you your kidney stones have uric acid in them. Mostly organ meats and yeast.
- Stent
- A flexible hollow tube with drainage holes that is placed in the ureter between the kidney and the bladder to keep urine flowing and prevents a stone from blocking the flow of urine.
- Ultrasound
- Sound waves used to get a view of the inside of the body.
- Urologist
- A surgical doctor that specializes in diseases of the urinary tract. A urologist is the surgeon that removes kidney stones.
- Ureteroscopy
- It is a procedure in which a small scope (like a flexible telescope) is inserted into the bladder and ureter and it is used to diagnose and treat a variety of problems in the urinary tract.
Books To Help You
Products To Consider
Recommended Retailers
About Me
I was diagnosed with MSK 13 years ago. I am curious about what goes on in my body and enjoy sharing what I learn with others. I hope this has been helpful and has answered some of your questions.
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