The factors that can cause lithiasis in the kidney are various, from the age and weight of the person, their eating habits and also from external factors, such as occupation and climatic factors.
More detailed, the lithiasis factors are:
Age – Leaf
Gallstones usually appear between the ages of 40 and 60 and are generally more common in men than women. After menopause, the incidence in women increases as the protective role of estrogen is lost, with the result that the possibility of kidney stone formation becomes significantly greater.
Body weight
Obesity is an aggravating factor for kidney stone formation. The poor diet of obese patients (fatty, salty, spicy, sweet), combined with limited exercise, results in the increased excretion of substances in the urine (Calcium, Uric acid, etc.), which lead to the formation of stones in the urinary tract .
Profession
Office occupations with long hours of immobility combined with a sedentary life (lack of exercise) during the day, as well as occupations with daily exposure to high temperatures (e.g., cooks, engineers), which cause intense sweating and dehydration, lead to the formation of stones.
Geographical Factors & Climate
The climate is of particular importance for the formation of stones in the urinary tract and countries with a hot and dry climate (such as Greece, Israel, etc.) show a high incidence of lithiasis. The sweating and dehydration caused by dry climates lead to the formation of stones.
Water consumption
Hydration is the most important protective factor against urinary stone formation. Adequate hydration contributes to the elimination of dilute urine by reducing the content of substances that form stones. Adequate hydration is a basic preventive measure.
Diet
Diet is one of the main factors in stone formation. Urine is one of the means of eliminating waste substances from our body, and the increased concentration of certain substances in our urine can lead to the formation of stones. Animal proteins, fats and salt actively participate in the formation of stones.
Systemic Diseases & Endocrine Diseases
Diseases of the endocrine glands and kidneys may be major risk factors for the formation of large stones that are persistently recurrent and difficult to treat. It is in these diseases that the existence of a structured lithiasis clinic proves to be important, in which the urologist, in combination with the other specialties, will create a plan to provide a definitive solution.
Hyperparathyroidism, for example, is one of the causes of stone formation. The increased excretion of calcium from the urine due to the parathormone disorder leads to the formation of multiple large-sized stones, which, in fact, recur quickly.
It is imperative for these patients to be simultaneously treated endocrinologically for their hyperparathyroidism because endourological treatment of their lithiasis alone is not capable of providing a definitive solution. It is vital that hyperparathyroidism is also treated with surgery as if it is still present. No matter how many times the urolithiasis is treated, the patient will immediately continue to develop new stones.
Also, diseases of the kidneys, such as for example polycystic kidney disease and nephrocalcinosis, but also of the intestine (intestinal hyperoxaluria, Crohn’s disease), which affect the absorption and elimination of substances, lead to the formation of stones.
Hereditary diseases
The most characteristic hereditary diseases and syndromes leading to stone formation are cystinuria, primary hyperoxaluria and renal tubular acidosis.
In these diseases, the patient constantly shows new stones with a large size, even for short periods of time. In this case, a structured lithiasis clinic proves to be valuable for the comprehensive treatment of the patient, as the combination of the operation by the urologist and the treatment instructions suggested by the nephrologist can work beneficially to prevent recurrences.
UTIs
Specific bacteria that produce a substance called urease (such as Proteas) contribute to the formation of a special category of stones, inflammatory struvite stones. These stones predispose to urinary tract infections, and urinary infections predispose to the formation of inflammatory stones. Here, the combination of the operation and the appropriate antibiotic treatment with the instructions of the infectious disease specialist will contribute to the definitive treatment.
Anatomical factors
Anatomical factors that prevent the normal flow and excretion of urine contribute to the formation of stones. Any disruption of the normal flow of urine either anatomically or functionally creates reduced urine output leading to thick urine that forms stones.
In recurrent stones, the specialist endourologist must always look for the possibility of anatomical and functional diseases that lead to stones.
Diseases that lead to stone formation are the following:
Pelvic-ureteric junction stenosis
Renal calyx diverticulum
Horseshoe Kidney
Ureter strictures
Narrowing of the vesicoureteral junction
Atonis Kysti
Urethral strictures
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Dr. Ioannis S. Katafugiotis MD, PhD, FEBU, FECSM
SURGEON UROLOGY-ANDROLOGIST
Doctor of the University of Athens
Fellow of the European Board of Urology
Fellow of the European Committee of Sexual Medicine
Retrained at Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
Retrained at Hadassah Medical Center, Israel
Graduate of the American Society of Endourology