Kidney Stones - Medications

Complications

Between 70 and 90% of crystals remain tiny enough to travel through the urinary tract and leave the body in the urine without being noticed. When they do cause symptoms, however, kidney stones have been described as one of the most painful disorders to afflict humans. The pain they cause is sometimes called renal colic. ("Renal" means "kidney.")

Effects on the Urinary Tract and Kidneys

Obstruction and Infection. Although kidney stones often lead to obstruction (blockage) of the urinary tract, the blockage is usually temporary and causes no lasting damage. In some cases, however, particularly if the obstruction progresses with no symptoms, infection may occur, which can be serious and need immediate attention.

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Chronic Kidney Disease. People with kidney stones face a higher risk for chronic kidney disease, particularly if they also have diabetes, high blood pressure, or frequent urinary tract infections.

Kidney Failure. It is very rare for kidney stones to cause kidney failure. However, some people have risk factors that make them more vulnerable to this serious complication, such as:

• Very frequent recurrences (such as in people with cystine stones or other inherited forms of kidney stone disorders)
• Accompanying episodes of urinary tract infections with obstruction, a particular risk with struvite stones
• A history of multiple urologic procedures for kidney stones
• Greater size of the kidney stone gravel

Long-Term Outlook: Risk for Recurrence

Without treatment, calcium stones recur in 10% of patients within a year of the first attack, and in half of patients within 5 - 7 years. The individual risk for recurrence, however, varies depending on the stone and the underlying condition. For example, a 15-year-old with inherited cystine stones has a very high risk for recurrence, while a middle-aged man with a first calcium oxalate stone has a good chance of never passing another stone.

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).