The following presents nephrolithiasis with a description of what this imbalance is and related factors to include cause, risk factors, age, and gender. How systems are affected by this disorder directly or indirectly is noted within a discussion of the anatomy and physiology of the body or specific structures affected. Prevention and treatment for this condition are discussed.
Nephrolithiasis refers to calculi in the kidneys or a kidney stone. A kidney stone is a solid mass that consists of tiny crystals. There can be one or more stones in the kidney or ureter at the same time (Hall 1; Nord 1; University of Maryland 1). These stones are typically formed by calcium, uric acid, magnesium ammonium phosphates (or struvite), or cystine (Hall 1). Thus, there can be renal calculi or ureteral calculi (ureterolithiasis), which typically originates in the kidneys and lodges in the ureter, where they might continue to grow. Nephrolithiasis is very common and leads to medical costs of $2.1 billion per year in the United States (E-Medicine 1).
The biggest risk factor for the development of kidney stones is dehydration (University of Maryland 1). Urinary tract stone disease can be caused by "supersaturation of the urine by stone-forming constituents, including calcium, oxalate, and uric acid." The cause of calcium oxalate stones is likely to be the deposit of "stone material on a renal papillary calcium phosphate nidus" (typically a Randall plaque) (E-Medicine 2).
Lifetime prevalence of urinary tract stone disease in the United States is estimated at 10% (annual incidence in the industrialized world is 0.2%), with risk factors being a white male. This population is likely to develop stone disease by age 70 years at a rate of one in eight. Stones of the upper urinary tract are most common in the United States. Risks and mortality or morbidity outcomes linked to this condition are as follows
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