Kidney stones are the most prevalent urinary tract disorder in the United States, affecting over 1 million Americans every year, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse.

Experiencing the back pain, groin pain, fever, chills, nausea or vomiting associated with kidney stones may spur you to change your lifestyle to avoid further stone formation. A kidney stone is solid mass of crystals that can collect in your kidney or anywhere else in your urinary tract.

The signs and symptoms of dying from renal failure can be recognized with some understanding of what happens in the body as the kidneys fail. The kidneys eliminate toxins as well as manage fluid balance and blood salts, called electrolytes.

Kidney stones develop in the urinary tract system in the human body. The two kidneys reside in the back, one on each side of the spinal cord, and below the rib cage. The ureter, a tube below the kidney, links the kidneys to the urinary bladder or sack. The urinary bladder holds the urine produced by the kidneys.

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that can reside in the human stomach and duodenum, which is the upper part of the small intestine. Most people infected with it never experience problems, but in some, it can cause gastritis, peptic ulcers and even lead to stomach cancer.

Gumbo is the Swahili word for okra -- a podded green vegetable that came to America from Africa during the slave trade. As a plant derived from the hollyhock family, it grows annually in warm weather.

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Kidney disorders may occur for a variety of reasons. Hydronephrosis is a type of swelling in one or both kidneys that occurs as the result of another condition, making it a symptom of a disorder or disease, rather than a specific illness.

Sports drinks have come under fire as a contributing factor for the increased incidence of kidney stones. Because sports drinks contain potassium and sodium in their ingredients, it is assumed these salts contribute to an increased urinary calcium excretion, causing the formation of kidney stones.

Two laboratory blood tests that measure kidney function are creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, or BUN. Both tests are related and are associated with the complete metabolic profile, or CMP. Either test can be run on a blood sample or urine sample.

Kidney stones are hard deposits in your kidneys, and they may cause pain or infections. Your risk increases if you are a man or have a family or personal history of kidney stones. There are several types of kidney stones.

Kidney cysts are estimated to occur in 10 percent of healthy adults. These cysts range in size and are typically filled with clear or straw-colored fluid. They can occur spontaneously or be caused by a disease, such as polycystic kidney disease. Rupture of a kidney cyst is unusual but does occur.