What conditions might predispose a person to kidney stones?

Answer 1

There are several types of kidney stones, but the most common are calcium oxalate stones, followed by calcium phosphate stones.

A variety of foods contain oxalates, which are usually bound up with other compounds in the intestines. When oxalates make it to the kidney, they bind with calcium and can form stones.

"Calcium oxalate stonesThe most common type of kidney stone is composed of calcium oxalate crystals, occurring in about 75 to 80% of cases,[9] and the factors that promote the precipitation of crystals in the urine are associated with the development of these stones.

Perhaps counter-intuitively, current evidence suggests that the consumption of low-calcium diets is associated with a higher overall risk for the development of kidney stones.[2] This is perhaps related to the role of calcium in binding ingested oxalate in the gastrointestinal tract. As the amount of calcium intake decreases, the amount of oxalate available for absorption into the bloodstream increases; this oxalate is then excreted in greater amounts into the urine by the kidneys. In the urine, oxalate is a very strong promoter of calcium oxalate precipitation, about 15 times stronger than calcium.

Uric acid (urate)About 5-10% of all stones are formed from uric acid.[9] A risk factor is obesity.[21] Uric acid stones form in association with conditions that cause hyperuricosuria with or without high blood serum uric acid levels (hyperuricemia); and with acid/base metabolism disorders where the urine is excessively acidic (low pH) resulting in uric acid precipitation. A diagnosis of uric acid nephrolithiasis is supported if there is a radiolucent stone, a persistent undue urine acidity, and uric acid crystals in fresh urine samples.[22][edit] Other typesOther types of kidney stones are composed of struvite (magnesium, ammonium and phosphate); calcium phosphate; and cystine.

Struvite stones are also known as infection stones, urease or triple-phosphate stones. About 10-15% of urinary calculi consist of struvite stones.[23] The formation of struvite stones is associated with the presence of urea-splitting bacteria,[24] most commonly Proteus mirabilis (but also Klebsiella, Serratia, Providencia species). These organisms are capable of splitting urea into ammonia, decreasing the acidity of the urine and resulting in favorable conditions for the formation of struvite stones. Struvite stones are always associated with urinary tract infections.

The formation of calcium phosphate stones is associated with conditions such as hyperparathyroidism and renal tubular acidosis.

Formation of cystine stones is uniquely associated with people suffering from cystinuria, who accumulate cystine in their urine. Cystinuria can be caused by Fanconi's syndrome.

Urolithiasis has also been noted to occur in the setting of therapeutic drug use, with crystals of drug forming within the renal tract in some patients currently being treated with Indinavir, Sulfadiazine or Triamterene."

Answer 2

Nephrolithiasis

Answer 3

nephrolithiasis