Kidney Stones Causes

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Kidney Stones Causes

Kidney stones causes can vary due to various factors and most times, they can never be determined for sure. These stones are either small or large in size. Very small stones pass through the urinary system without causing any trouble. However, large stones block the urinary tract and cause severe pain. One of the main kidney stones causes is the imbalance of salt and minerals in urine. Some common kidney stones causes are mentioned below;

Heredity plays a major role in causing kidney stones. People who have the family history of kidney stone problem are more vulnerable to the disease. Calcium stone, which is the major type of kidney stone generally, passes from parent or grandparent. 70% of people suffering from a hereditary disease called renal tubular acidosis have the chance of getting kidney stones.

The geographical location is yet another kidney stone cause. People living in hot climate have increased risk of kidney stones. This is because, they have more chances of dehydration and so their urine gets more concentrated. This may lead to kidney stone formation.

In most cases, wrong food habit is one of the main kidney stones causes. Excessive intake of sugar and soft drinks would cause kidney stone formation. High protein diet, high purine food like sweet bread, liver etc can cause kidney stones. Similarly too much of calcium consumption can lead to calcium stones. Oxalate rich food and high doses of vitamin D can increase the concentration of calcium in urine and cause calcium stone formation.

People who receive chemotherapy treatment for curing cancer have more concentration of uric acid in urine. Therefore, they are susceptible to uric acid stones, which is another type of kidney stone. Persons taking treatment for HIV infection with the drug known as triamterene and protease inhibitor indinavir are at a risk of developing Drug stone formation.

People who suffer from inflammatory bowel disorder or those who have the problem of chronic diarrhea have the problem of low pH urine and low volume of urine. This in turn would lead to kidney stone formation.

Gout is a medical condition, which causes increase in the level of uric acid in blood and thereby deposits lumps of uric acid in the form of kidney stone. Gout may be developed by obesity, alcohol intake, high blood pressure and some malfunction in kidney. Since gout affects the normal balance of urinary system, it causes kidney stones to form.

Urinary tract infections, which are common in women, can lead to stuvite stone formation in kidneys. Women above 40 years and women who are in their menopause period have more risks of getting kidney stone formation.

Blockage in urinary tract can also cause kidney stone formation. People who had passed kidney stones earlier are more susceptible to kidney stone formation again. In some cases, hyperparathyroidism, a medical condition may cause stone formation.

Diagnosing the Kidney stones causes is important to analyze the disease and to provide further treatment. In fact, diagnosing the cause can also help to detect the type of kidney stone in a patient.