Kidney stone disease is one of the most common conditions that we see patients for here at Melbourne Urology Centre.
“What are the kidney stone disease causes?”
Kidney stone disease is one of the most common conditions that we see patients for here at Melbourne Urology Centre. Once they have been diagnosed, patients will often ask us “What are kidney stone disease causes? How did I develop them?”. The answer is not always straightforward. There are a number of factors that can influence a person’s risk of developing kidney stones.
There are different types of kidney stones – namely four major types – and each type is associated with different kidney stone causes. The different types of kidney stones are calcium oxalate/calcium phosphate stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones (also sometimes referred to as magnesium ammonium phosphate stones) and cystine stones.
Kidney stone disease causes: dehydration
Regardless of stone type, dehydration is considered one of the more common kidney stone disease causes. When your urine has a high concentration of minerals and other substances (such as calcium, oxalate, uric acid), these substances can clump together and crystalise. Basically, when there is not enough fluid in the urine to keep these crystals from sticking together, kidney stones can form. Therefore, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water (generally 2L each day as a minimum) can help to prevent kidney stones from forming.
Kidney stone disease causes: dietary factors
Foods high in oxalates can be one of the kidney stone disease causes of calcium oxalate stones. Foods that are typically high in oxalates include coffee, chocolate, tea, spinach, potatoes and nuts, amongst others. Minimising the amount of these foods that you consume can help to reduce the incidence of calcium oxalate kidney stones.
What may come as a surprise to some people is that patients who have calcium oxalate stones should not cut back on dietary calcium. This is because calcium has the ability to bind to oxalate in the intestine, preventing it from being absorbed through the gut and eventually reaching the urinary tract. This means that there is less oxalate in the urine to potentially form stones.
Uric acid stones are sometimes also influenced by dietary habits. In some people with uric acid stones produce high levels of uric acid. For these patients, consuming less animal protein can be beneficial in in reducing the risk of recurrence.
Kidney stone disease causes: bacterial infection
Struvite stones are sometimes also called ‘infection stones’. This is because the kidney stone disease causes behind these type of stones is bacterial infection. The bacterial infection raises the pH of the urine to be alkaline. Under these neutral conditions, bacteria thrive, producing ammonia as they break down urea in your urine.
Women are more prone to developing struvite stones than men, since women are at greater risk of urinary tract infections than men are.
Kidney stone disease causes: genetic conditions
One of the least common kidney stone disease causes is genetic conditions. One example of a genetic condition being the cause of kidney stones is cystinuria. This condition results in high levels of the amino acid, cystine, in the urine. Cystine in high concentration, along with dehydration can result in the formation of kidney stones.
Other examples of genetic conditions associated as kidney stone disease causes include hyperparathyroidism (where the body produces too much of the parathyroid hormone) and renal tubular acidosis (which is a kidney condition that leads to a build up of acid in the body). These two conditions can be associated with calcium phosphate stone formation.
Your specialist urologist will discuss your potential kidney stone disease causes and preventative strategies with you.
Every patient is different. That’s why here at Melbourne Urology Centre, our doctors take pride in their professional manner with a personal approach. Once the relevant investigations and an accurate diagnosis have been made, your specialist will discuss with you in detail the kidney stone disease causes for your individual circumstances. Your doctor will be able to tailor an appropriate treatment plan, including the correct preventative strategies for your condition, in order to minimize your risk of developing kidney stones again.
Please note that the blog article above regarding kidney stone disease cause is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be taken as general medical advice. If you are suffering with urinary symptoms or you suspect that you might have kidney stones, please contact us right away to make an appointment with one of our specialist urologists.
Written by Dr. Shekib Shahbaz and Dr. Tony de Sousa