Kidney Stones - Causes

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Being Bedridden. Any medical or physical condition that keeps a person in bed or immobile increases blood levels of calcium from bone breakdown, thereby posing a risk for stone formation.

Medical Conditions

Gout. Patients with gout are at high risk for uric acid stones.

High Blood Pressure. People with high blood pressure are up to three times more likely to develop kidney stones. It is not entirely clear whether having high blood pressure increases the risk for a stone, stones lead to high blood pressure, or there is an action linking both conditions.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis cause problems in the absorption of substances in the intestines. These problems significantly increase the risk for kidney stones, particularly in men.

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Urinary Tract Infections. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are almost always the cause of struvite stones.

Hyperparathyroidism. The parathyroid glands regulate calcium levels in the body through parathyroid hormone. In hyperparathyroidism, one or more of these glands makes too much parathyroid hormone. Some people with hyperparathyroidism develop kidney stones. Surgery to remove the hyperactive parathyroid gland in such patients reduces the risk for stone formation, but the risk still remains high for some time after surgery.

Other Medical Conditions. Kidney disease, chronic diarrhea, certain cancers (such as leukemia and lymphoma), and sarcoidosis (swelling around the organs) put people at higher risk for stones.

Medications

AIDS medications. More than 10% of AIDS patients who take the medicine indinavir develop stones. The risk is even higher in people with AIDS who also have hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or hemophilia, as well as those who are very thin or who take the antibiotic combination TMP-SMX.

Other Drugs. Kidney stones are a rare side effect of thyroid hormones and loop diuretics (drugs that increase urination), although diuretics are also used to prevent calcium stones. Certain cancer chemotherapy drugs can also cause kidney stones. Long-term use of medications such as antacids, which change the acid content of urine, may increase the risk for kidney stones.

Review Date: 06/08/2010
Reviewed By: Reviewed by: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).