The Basics of Kidney Stones

In the United States, about one person in 10 will develop a kidney stone within their life. In 2010, kidney stones were the cause of more than 600,000 emergency room visitors. The doctors with Metropolitan Urological Specialists in Washington, Florissant, and St. Louis, Missouri have some important information to keep you in the loop on your potential risks.

A kidney stone is simply mineral deposit that forms in the urinary system tract. Kidney stones build whenever crystals, that are present in the urine, start to stick together and progressively accumulate into a rock-like mass. At first, kidney stones are small in size, but over time, as more crystals attach, they're able to grow really large.

How come kidney stones form?

The deposits that develop kidney stones are made of elements typically found in the urine. These compounds include calcium, oxalate, phosphate, uric acid, and other chemical compounds. Your kidneys regularly excrete these compounds into the urine. Nevertheless, when their concentration in the urine is particularly high, these chemicals do not stay dissolved and rather begin to crystallize and precipitate away from the urine. There are other components in the urine referred to as inhibitors which help to keep the crystals from clinging together. Whenever the concentration of crystals is too high or the relative quantity of inhibitors is too low, a kidney stone will develop. Many factors can contribute to your chance of getting kidney stone, like your familial genetic predisposition, eating habits, and fluid intake, where you reside, or even your work environment.

What are the various types of kidney stones?

There are a few types of kidney stones, each having different chemical composition.

Nearly all kidney stones have calcium. Calcium stones are made up of calcium that's chemically bound to either oxalate (calcium oxalate stones) or phosphate (calcium phosphate stones). Among these, calcium oxalate is way more common. Pure calcium phosphate stones are the rarest and generally show an underlying illness or metabolic condition. The most common stone composition is in fact blend of mostly calcium oxalate with a bit of calcium phosphate.

Around 15 percent of kidney stones don't have calcium. These include uric acid stones, struvite stones, and cystine stones.

How widespread are kidney stones?

In the United States, about one individual in ten will build up a kidney stone within their lifetime. In 2010, kidney stones were the reason for over 600,000 emergency room trips. We understand that men are more likely to have kidney stones than women. Those with caucasian origin are five times more likely to have kidney stones than African-Americans. Stone incidence peaks between forty and fifty years of age and appears to decline.

Exactly what are my chances of recurrence?

Kidney stones are likely to recur. If a man has produced one kidney stone, and does absolutely nothing to reduce his chance of recurrence, research has revealed he has about a 60% to 70 % probability of having another. If a man has had 2 kidney stones, the prospects of recurrence reach more than ninety %. The odds of recurrence are slightly lower for ladies.

There are steps you can take to significantly decrease your chance of recurrence. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the experts at Metropolitan Urological Specialists. They have offices in St. Louis, Washington, and Florissant, MO.