Kidney Stones

Types

Kidney stones may contain various combinations of chemicals depending on the chemical imbalance in the urine. The most common types of stones are comprised of calcium, uric acid, struvite and cystine. 

Calcium stones, the most common type, contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. Oxalate is a compound that occurs naturally in some fruits and vegetables. Low levels of citrate, high levels of oxalate and uric acid, and inadequate urinary volume may cause calcium stone formation.

Uric acid stones : If the acid level in the urine is high or too much acid is excreted, the uric acid may not dissolve resulting in the formation of the uric acid stone. 

Struvite or infection stone : which is found more often in women is caused by infection in the urinary tract. The stones usually develop as jagged structures called staghorn and can grow to be quite large.

Cystine stones : Cystine is an amino acid in protein that does not dissolve well. A rare, congenital condition called cystinuria develops large amounts of cystine in urine which in turn results in the formation of cystine stones. This type requires a life-long therapy and is difficult to treat.