What causes kidney stones?
Above all, however, a strict attention to maintaining a high fluid intake is essential to reduce the risk of kidney stones....
My father in law constantly gets kidney stones.
He has been to hospitals where they have checked to check for traces of previous stones, yet he still suffers from them at least three times a year.
What are the causes of this illness and how can you prevent it?
Your father-in-law's recurrent problem is not uncommon. About two per cent of the population are affected, more commonly men.
Unfortunately 50 percent of patients with kidney stones will have formed further stones within 10 years.
It's not surprising that stones sometimes form. The kidney has to excrete often very concentrated urine, and sometimes it can't cope.
Elevated levels of certain minerals in the blood, coupled with other factors such as underlying disease, genetic susceptibility, medication; and physical changes in the kidney can lead to the formation of crystals.
In some patients natural inhibitors of crystallisation normally found in the urine are reduced. The situation is made worse if the patient is dehydrated.
Treatment includes careful investigation to exclude diseases that predispose to stone formation such as hypercalciuria due to a genetic tendency, a high calcium intake or bone wasting conditions resulting from prolonged inactivity.
Treatment of identified causes will require medical advice.
Urinary infections are often associated with kidney stones and must be thoroughly treated. Above all, however, a strict attention to maintaining a high fluid intake is essential.
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