What Are the Causes of Kidney Stones?

Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin and Peter the Great all suffered from kidney stones. Tiny or huge, they cause immense pain as the body seeks their removal. What are the causes of these irritants and how do diet and drinking water play a role?

Cause

• The most common form of kidney stone contains calcium. The amount of calcium not used by bones and muscles is directed to the kidney. Normally, kidneys flush out excess calcium, but in some instances it remains and combines with other waste to begin formation of what will become a very painful object. Some stones are as tiny as a grain of sand while others grow to the size of pebbles. There have even been documented cases of kidney stones the circumference of a golf ball. They normally appear brown or yellow and may be jagged or smooth. Heredity, diet, fluid intake and chronic urinary tract infections appear to be common threads in their development.

Types

• According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, there are four main types of kidney stones.

  Calcium-Oxalate stones form from an excessive amount of calcium concentrated in the kidney.

  Struvite stones contain significant amounts of ammonia and magnesium and often form after a urinary tract infection.The hypothesis is that after an infection has occurred, some debris remains in the kidney and stones gradually form around this remaining infectious waste.

  Uric acid stones develop when the urine is especially acidic. This primarily occurs in individuals who eat too much red meat.

  Cystine stones are extremely rare and usually present in people with a history of metabolic or genetic kidney disease.

Cure

• Experts agree that there is no "cure" for those with a predisposition to the development of kidney stones. Medication may be helpful, but prevention, in the form of diet control and fluid intake, is key. Kidney stones occur only about half as often in vegetarians and people who consume healthier foods with minimal processing.

  Four out of five cases occur in men, normally between the ages of 20 and 40, usually overweight Caucasians who consume excessive amounts of animal protein. However, the instance of cases in females is beginning to rise.

Diet

• In the book "No More Kidney Stones: The Experts Tell You All You Need to Know About Prevention and Treatment," Dr. John S. Rodman, Cynthia Seidman M.S., R.D. and Dr. R. Ernest Sosa note that the rate of kidney stone disease has risen severely in western nations since the 1950s. "As we eat richer diets we must deal with more wastes. And wastes come through our kidneys and out in the urine. The stone 'boom' is tied to our diets," says the book.

  According to the National Kidney Foundation, the most prevalent type of stone, the calcium-oxalate variety, may form not only as a result of excessive calcium, but also courtesy of foods with high oxalate concentrations. These include, among others, oranges, tofu, dark leafy greens, peanuts, instant coffee, beets, rhubarb, beans, berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries), chocolate, grapes and draft beer. Excessive sodium also plays a role as it causes more calcium to be lost as waste, thus increasing the level of calcium in the kidney.

Fluids

• Kidney stone formation also occurs directly as a result of simply not drinking enough fluid. Drinking at least 12 full glasses of water daily is a good guideline. This is vital to flushing away substances that form stones. Fruit juices, lemon-lime sodas and ginger-ale are also acceptable but limit cola, tea and coffee.