Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsKidney Stones: Urinary SystemAppendicitis: Digestive SystemAppendicitis vs. Kidney Stones: Pain CharacteristicsDiagnosing Right-Sided Stomach PainAppendicitis RecoveryKidney Stone Treatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Kidney Stones: Urinary System
Appendicitis: Digestive System
Appendicitis vs. Kidney Stones: Pain Characteristics
Diagnosing Right-Sided Stomach Pain
Appendicitis Recovery
Kidney Stone Treatment
Telling the difference betweenappendicitisand kidney stones may sometimes be difficult.
Appendicitis is often an acute problem that results from aninflamedor diseased organ. Kidney stones usually develop over time when crystals form and come together in your urinary tract. Both problems can cause intense pain on the right side of your body, making it hard to know the cause of your pain.
This article discusses appendicitis versus kidney stones and how these problems differ in their causes, diagnosis, types of pain, and treatment.
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Kidney stones are a common cause ofkidney pain, also known as renal pain. Yourkidneysare bean-shaped organs located just under yourrib cage, on either side of yourspine. They filter blood to remove waste and maintain a healthy balance of bodily fluids, resulting in the production of urine.
Kidney stones are hard, solid masses from the crystals of certain substances eliminated naturally in your urine. Crystals form when your urine contains too much of a waste substance in too little liquid. Stones develop as the crystals join together with other elements and form a solid mass.
If you have one kidney stone, you have a higher risk of having others simultaneously or later. One kidney stone gives you a 50% risk of developing another in five to seven years.
Kidney stones typically form from one of the following substances:
You can pass small kidney stones (less than 5 millimeters in diameter) out of your body in your urine, often without your knowledge. However, problems can occur when the stones continue to grow and become too large for natural elimination through urine.
Pain occurs when a kidney stone causes a blockage and prevents urine from passing from the kidney to the bladder. The buildup of urine can cause a backup of urine into the kidney, causing it to stretch and swell. If the blockage occurs in the ureter, it can trigger painful spasms because this organ is very sensitive to stretching.
Risk Factors for Kidney StonesA family history of kidney stone disease is one of the most significant risk factors for kidney stones. You may also be more likely to have kidney stones if you are between the ages of 40 and 65 and have any of the following risk factors:Family history of kidney stone diseaseInadequate fluid intake ordehydrationObesityCoexisting medical conditions such ashypertension,diabetes, orchronic kidney diseaseHigh level of physical activity with a low level of fluid intakeOverconsumption ofsodium, oxalate, andcalcium(the three micronutrients required for kidney stone formation)Excessive consumption of animal proteinExcessive consumption ofsugarsand sweetenersChanges ingut bacteriadue to digestive diseases or surgeriesCertain supplements (vitamin K,vitamin D, calcium) and medications (beta-blockers)
Risk Factors for Kidney Stones
A family history of kidney stone disease is one of the most significant risk factors for kidney stones. You may also be more likely to have kidney stones if you are between the ages of 40 and 65 and have any of the following risk factors:Family history of kidney stone diseaseInadequate fluid intake ordehydrationObesityCoexisting medical conditions such ashypertension,diabetes, orchronic kidney diseaseHigh level of physical activity with a low level of fluid intakeOverconsumption ofsodium, oxalate, andcalcium(the three micronutrients required for kidney stone formation)Excessive consumption of animal proteinExcessive consumption ofsugarsand sweetenersChanges ingut bacteriadue to digestive diseases or surgeriesCertain supplements (vitamin K,vitamin D, calcium) and medications (beta-blockers)
A family history of kidney stone disease is one of the most significant risk factors for kidney stones. You may also be more likely to have kidney stones if you are between the ages of 40 and 65 and have any of the following risk factors:
Appendicitis is usually an acute condition. It is usually treated with anappendectomy, a surgical procedure in which the appendix is removed. For some people, the condition can be managed with antibiotics. In rare cases, symptoms can come and go, causingchronic appendicitis.
Risk Factors for AppendicitisAppendicitis can happen to anyone at any age. Having one or more of the following risk factors can increase your odds of developing this condition:Your age is between 10 and 30 years oldFamily history of appendicitisMale genderCystic fibrosis(in children)
Risk Factors for Appendicitis
Appendicitis can happen to anyone at any age. Having one or more of the following risk factors can increase your odds of developing this condition:Your age is between 10 and 30 years oldFamily history of appendicitisMale genderCystic fibrosis(in children)
Appendicitis can happen to anyone at any age. Having one or more of the following risk factors can increase your odds of developing this condition:
The pain appendicitis and kidney stones cause can be confused with one another because the two conditions share similar symptoms. It can be easy to mistakeappendix painforkidney pain.
Understanding how pain occurs with each condition can help you identify your problem and get the care you need.
Location
Appendicitis:Appendicitis pain usually happens around yourbelly buttonor mid-to-upper abdomen. It often moves to theright lower part of your abdomen. Within 12–24 hours after symptoms begin, the pain usually settles at McBurney’s point, a place in the abdomen just above the appendix that is tender when touched if the appendix is inflamed. The pain may spread all over your abdomen if your appendix bursts.
Kidney stones:The location of kidney stone pain can change as the kidney stone moves from one position to another. It is likely to cause severe pain along your lower abdomen or groin. Kidney stone back pain can occur on either side of your lower back. Kidney stone pain can also happen along either side of your body, below your ribs. A vague abdominal pain, persistent stomachache, or kidney stone bloating may also occur.
Intensity
Appendicitis:The intensity of appendicitis pain tends to be minor at first before becoming more severe over a few hours. Severe pain can begin suddenly, waking you from sleep. It may get worse when you cough or breathe deeply. The pain may differ from any other abdominal pain you had.
Kidney stones:The intensity of abdominal pain with kidney stones does not always align with the severity of your condition. You may not feel intense pain until the kidney stone has begun to pass through your urinary tract. Research indicates that some women consider the pain of kidney stones comparable to childbirth. In addition to comparable intensity, the pain may also occur in waves, similar to labor contractions.
Symptom Differences
Though intense pain can occur with either condition, appendicitis and kidney stones have some unique symptoms that help distinguish them.
Symptoms unique to appendicitis include:
Symptoms unique to kidney stonesinclude:
Symptoms That Require Immediate Medical Care
Diagnosing abdominal pain can be challenging because of the many medical conditions that cause symptoms in this part of your body. If you think you have appendicitis or kidney stones, consult a healthcare provider as early as possible.
The following screenings are for accurately diagnosing right-sided stomach pain:
How Likely Is a Differential Diagnosis When Kidney Stone Pain Occurs?Kidney stones are called “the great mimicker.” Knowing what can mimic kidney stone pain can help identify this illness and other conditions likeovarianortesticularconditions,gastritis, and urinary tract infections with similar symptoms.Research indicates that CT scans provide the highest sensitivity of all imaging tests for accurately diagnosing abdominal pain with kidney stones.
How Likely Is a Differential Diagnosis When Kidney Stone Pain Occurs?
Kidney stones are called “the great mimicker.” Knowing what can mimic kidney stone pain can help identify this illness and other conditions likeovarianortesticularconditions,gastritis, and urinary tract infections with similar symptoms.Research indicates that CT scans provide the highest sensitivity of all imaging tests for accurately diagnosing abdominal pain with kidney stones.
Recovery varies based on thetreatment for appendicitis. Though removing the infected or inflamed appendix is the most common treatment,antibiotics, pain control, and follow-up can also treat some cases of appendicitis.
However, people with uncomplicated appendicitis or a high risk of surgery complications may be good candidates for treatment with antibiotic therapy. Appendectomy is advised for patients with complicated appendicitis, defined as one of the following conditions:
Appendicitis can also occur due to an appendicolith—or an appendix stone. This occurs from a deposit of calcium and fecal debris that can become lodged in the appendix and cause a blockage.
The Stages of Appendicitis
Antibiotics vs. Surgery
You can relieve appendicitis symptoms with either antibiotics or surgery based on the cause of your condition. Both appendectomy andappendicitis treatment without surgerycomes with pros and cons.
Antibiotics
Results from the Comparison of Outcomes of Antibiotic Drugs and Appendectomy (CODA), a large, randomized study of 25 U.S. centers, reported that antibiotics were non-inferior to treatment with appendectomy in the short term. Recuperation is faster with antibiotics.
However, the rate of recurrence for treatment with antibiotics is higher than for surgery. At 90 days, 30% of participants treated with antibiotics alone had undergone an appendectomy in the CODA study.
Surgery
Recovery from an appendectomy varies based on the type of surgery performed.Laparoscopicsurgery makes smaller incisions and is associated with faster recovery and fewer complications than open surgery. If you have laparoscopic surgery, you can usually return to work and your normal routine within one to three weeks. Recovery from open surgery can take from two to four weeks.
After you recover from an appendectomy, there is virtually no risk of recurrence. Rarely, patients may experience inflammation of theappendicealstump, the remnant portion of the appendix left after surgery.
Antibiotics Can Help Some Patients Avoid Appendectomies, Study Finds
Kidney stonetreatment depends on the stone’s underlying cause, size, and location. Other factors such as age, other medical conditions, and overall wellness may also determine the suitable options for treating kidney stones. After the kidney stone is passed or surgically removed, the stone or its pieces are sent to a laboratory to determine the type of stone that formed.
Kidney stone treatment involves the following procedures:
Summary
Finding the source of stomach pain can be challenging. Learning how to locate the cause of severe issues like appendicitis and kidney stones is not easy. These and many other severe problems have many of the same symptoms despite varying causes.
Appendicitis and kidney stones are often confused because they can both cause pain on the right side of the body, even though they affect different body systems. Appendicitis is an acute problem that occurs because of an inflamed appendix. A kidney stone is a chronic problem that starts when small masses form in your urinary tract. The effect of this impacts how you pass urine.
Knowing when to seek care for these problems can prevent your symptoms from becoming severe and life-threatening.
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.The urinary tract & how it works.
National Kidney Foundation.Kidney stones.
Urology Care Foundation.What are kidney stones?
Kaiser Permanente.Advice for people with uric acid stones.
National Kidney Foundation.Struvite stones.
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Cystinuria.
Mount Sinai.Kidney stones.
Shin S, Srivastava A, Alli NA, Bandyopadhyay BC.Confounding risk factors and preventative measures driving nephrolithiasis global makeup. World J Nephrol. 2018 Nov 24;7(7):129-142. doi:10.5527/wjn.v7.i7.129
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Mount Sinai.Appendicitis.
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U.S. Pharmacist.Acute appendicitis in adults.
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Feldman LS, Lee L.Appendicoliths, antibiotic treatment failure, and appendectomy—is the glass half full or half empty?JAMA Surgery. 2022;157(3):e216901-e216901. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.6901
The CODA Collaborative.A randomized trial comparing antibiotics with appendectomy for appendicitis.N Engl J Med. 2020;383(20):1907-1919. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2014320
Kaiser Permanente.Appendectomy: what to expect at home.
Uludag M, Isgor A, Basak M.Stump appendicitis is a rare delayed complication of appendectomy: A case report.World J Gastroenterol. 2006;12(33):5401-5403. doi:10.3748/wjg.v12.i33.5401
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.Kidney stones overview.
University of Michigan Health.Shockwave lithotripsy (SWL).
National Kidney Foundation.Ureteroscopy.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for kidney stones.
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