Types of Kidney stones

Kidney stones: Types list

The list of types of Kidney stones mentioned in various sources includes:

• Calcium stone - most common type
• Struvite - infection stone
• Uric acid stone
• Cystine stone
• Ureteral stone
• Silent kidney stones - causing no symptoms

Types discussion:

What Are Kidney Stones: NIDDK (Excerpt)

There are four major types of kidney stones.

• The most common type of stone contains calcium (KAL-see-um). Calcium is a normal part of a healthy diet.

  Calcium that is not used by the bones and muscles goes to the kidneys. In most people, the kidneys flush out the extra calcium with the rest of the urine. People who have calcium stones keep the calcium in their kidneys.

  The calcium that stays behind joins with other waste products to form a stone.

• A struvite (STROO-vite) stone may form after an infection in the urinary system. These stones contain the mineral magnesium (mag-NEE-zee-um) and the waste product ammonia (uh-MOH-nyuh).

• A uric (YOOR-ik) acid stone may form when there is too much acid in the urine. If you tend to form uric acid stones, you may need to cut back on the amount of meat you eat.

• Cystine (SIS-teen) stones are rare. Cystine is one of the building blocks that make up muscles, nerves, and other parts of the body. Cystine can build up in the urine to form a stone. The disease that causes cystine stones runs in families.

Kidney Stones: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Kidney stones may contain various combinations of chemicals. The most common type of stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. These chemicals are part of a person's normal diet and make up important parts of the body, such as bones and muscles.

A less common type of stone is caused by infection in the urinary tract. This type of stone is called a struvite or infection stone. Much less common are the uric acid stone and the rare cystine stone. (Source: excerpt from Kidney Stones: NWHIC)

Kidney stones: Rare Types

Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:

• Chronic Digestive Disorders -- Rare Types:
  • Crohn's Disease -- Rare Types
  • Ulcerative Colitis -- Rare Types
  • Celiac Disease -- Rare Types
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease -- Rare Types
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome -- Rare Types
  • Carcinoid Syndrome -- Rare Types
  • Pancreatitis -- Rare Types
  • Gallstones -- Rare Types
  • Lactose Intolerance -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Kidney stones: Related Disease Topics

More general medical disease topics related to Kidney stones include:

• Kidney conditions
• Stones
• Urinary system conditions
• Senior health conditions
• Abdominal conditions

Research More About Kidney stones

• Kidney stones: Introduction
• Symptoms: Kidney stones
• Causes: Kidney stones
• Treatments: Kidney stones
• Alternative Treatments: Kidney stones

Search Specialists by State and City