Types of Kidney Stones: A Comprehensive Chart and Guide

In This Article

Types of Kidney Stones: A Comprehensive Chart and Guide

Arjit

Arjit

Updated on February 08, 2024

Medically verified by Dr. Arya

Fact checked by Dr. Pournami

Urology

5 min read

You might be aware of kidney stones. But you may want to know more about what they are like? Are they all similar? Or how are they different from each other? What are their symptoms and how can they be differentiated?

Feeling baffled and caught between queries? You’re not alone. In fact, there are many who want to clear these doubts and even debunk certain myths about kidney stones.

Mykare Health will help you understand what kidney stones are, what their types are and how you can differentiate among them. So that you can start the treatment as early as possible and avoid any sort of delay due to lack of knowledge or information.

Kidney stones- An Overview

As you may already know by now, kidney stones are a condition that occurs due to over deposition of hard minerals. Medically known as nephrolithiasis, these are hard deposits made of minerals and salts that form within the kidneys.

Even their size can range in between a grain of sand to a golf ball, causing intense pain when they pass through the urinary tract. And severe pain is just a simple and one of many symptoms.

Want to know what some of the common signs are? Here you go.

  • Severe pain in the back and sides, just below the ribs

  • Blood in urine

  • Frequency in between two consecutive urination

  • Cloudy or foul-smelling urine

  • Nausea and vomiting

Types and Difference

While there are not just single types of kidney stones, they also don’t affect your body in the same way.

Curious to know their different ways, right?

Hold your horses, as we’re about to take you through the variety of kidney stones.

Here are some of the types of kidney stones that are medically available in the database:

A. Calcium Stones:

  • Calcium Oxalate Stones:

a. Most common type (about 80% of cases)

b. Form when oxalate binds with calcium in the urine

c. Dietary factors, such as high oxalate intake, can contribute

  • Calcium Phosphate Stones:

a. Less common than calcium oxalate stones

b. Develop when calcium combines with phosphate in urine

B. Struvite Stones:

  • Composition:

a. Composed of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate

b. Often associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs)

  • Formation:

a. Develop when certain bacteria produce urease, leading to alkaline urine

b. Alkaline urine promotes the formation of struvite crystals

C. Uric Acid Stones:

  • Composition:

a. Formed primarily from uric acid

b. More likely to occur in individuals with high-purine diets

  • Risk Factors:

a. Dehydration

b. Gout

c. Certain genetic factors

D. Cystine Stones:

  • Composition:

a. Composed of the amino acid cystine

b. Rare and usually hereditary

  • Risk Factors:

a. Genetic disorders affecting the reabsorption of cystine in the kidneys

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Why Do These Occur?

Before moving to anything else, let’s deep dive into the world of symptoms and the cause. Like, why do they occur ? Here are some of the reasons:

A. Dehydration: You can assume it as one of the major reasons for kidney stones. In 70% of the cases, most of the patients have ignored the necessary daily water consumption. And at last they were reported with this! Insufficient fluid intake can lead to concentrated urine, promoting stone formation.

B. Diet: Even food is also an important factor when it comes to formation of stones. Foods that have a high amount of protein and other hard minerals, can lead to the formation of different kinds of stones. High intake of oxalate-rich foods (e.g., spinach, beets) can contribute to calcium oxalate stones. Diets high in purines (found in red meat and certain seafood) increase uric acid stone risk.

C. Medical Conditions:

  • Hyperparathyroidism
  • Urinary tract infections (associated with struvite stones)
  • Cystinuria (associated with cystine stones)

Read More About Kidney Stone Treatment

Diagnosis and Treatment

What should you do next in case you have any of the aforementioned symptoms? It is a diagnosis. To check whether you have it or not.

So here are some of the ways to diagnose the kidney stones:

  • X-rays

  • CT scans

  • Ultrasound

Now, once they are diagnosed, how would you treat them? The more time you delay treating kidney stones, the more damage it can do to your body.

Here are the most commonly prescribed ways to treat your kidney stones, irrespective of their varieties.

  • Increased fluid intake to promote urine dilution

  • Dietary modifications to reduce stone-forming substances

  • Ureteroscopy

Kidney stones are a prevalent and distressing ailment that can greatly affect your well-being. It is essential to comprehend the various kinds of kidney stones, their underlying causes, and the treatment options accessible in order to effectively manage this condition.

By implementing preventive measures and making necessary lifestyle changes, you can minimise your chances of developing kidney stones and enhance your overall kidney health.

In case symptoms manifest, seeking immediate medical attention and following a personalised treatment plan can alleviate pain and mitigate potential complications linked to kidney stones.

Key Takeaways

Kidney stones is a medical illness that occurs due to over deposition of hard minerals.

There are basically 4 types of kidney stones. They are Calcium Stones, Cystine Stones, Uric Acid Stones, and Struvite Stones

There are many ways to diagnose it. Some of them are X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound

Treatment options include increased fluid intake, dietary modifications, and ureteroscopy.

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