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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Different types of kidney stones

Yes. There are four main types of kidney stones. Each type has a different cause. Each may need a different kind of treatment or prevention. The four types are:

Calcium-Oxalate Stones: These are the most common kidney stones. They can be caused by eating too much calcium or vitamin D, some medicines, genetics and other kidney problems. Talk to your doctor about ways to stop these stones from forming. Do NOT limit calcium.

Struvite Stones: These stones affect women more than men. They can grow to be very large and harm the kidneys more than other stones. Having kidney infections often may cause struvite stones.

Uric Acid Stones: These stones may be caused by eating too much animal protein or by genetics. To stop uric acid stones, try eating less red meat.

Cystine Stones: These stones are very rare. They are caused by cystinuria, a genetic kidney disease.

Ask your doctor about what kind of stone you have.

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