Kidney Stones Health Center
Kidney Stones - Cause
Kidney stones may form when the normal balance of water, salts, minerals, and other substances found in urine changes. How this balance changes determines the type of kidney stone you have. Most kidney stones are calcium-type-they form when the calcium levels in your urine change.
Factors that change your urine balance include:
Understanding Kidney Stones -- Treatment
If you've had a kidney stone once, you're at an increased risk for another one. A urologist is frequently involved in deciding whether you'll need an extensive medical evaluation, including testing the amounts of various minerals in your urine, to assess further risks of stone formation. If your kidney stone is small, it may pass out of your body on its own, within a few days or weeks. Your doctor will most likely prescribe only plenty of water at first -- at least 3 quarts a day -- and a pain medication...
Read the Understanding Kidney Stones -- Treatment article > >
- Not drinking enough water. When you don't drink enough water, the salts, minerals, and other substances in the urine can stick together and form a stone. This is the most common cause of kidney stones.
- Medical conditions. Many medical conditions can affect the normal balance and cause stones to form. Examples include gout and inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease.
More commonly, kidney stones can run in families, as stones often occur in family members over several generations.
In rare cases, a person forms kidney stones because the parathyroid glands produce too much of a hormone, which leads to higher calcium levels and possibly calcium kidney stones.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
