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Calcium Stone: Pathophysiology, Prevention, and Medical Management

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Book cover Nutritional and Medical Management of Kidney Stones

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Abstract

Calcium stones such as calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate represent the most frequent type of stones encountered in stone-forming patients. Underlying medical conditions such as hyperparathyroidism, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and conditions that promote hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, and hypocitraturia have been recognized as risk factors for stone recurrence. Genetic links to stone recurrence have been proposed in newer publications. Diagnosis of calcium stone can be made with varying sensitivity and specificity by kidney ultrasound; radiography of the kidney, ureter, and bladder; and non-contrast computed tomography. Many of these stones may pass spontaneously. Medical therapy for stone expulsion such as alpha-blocker may be useful in certain situations. Depending on the size and location of calcium stone, surgical treatment can be instigated for stone removal. Stone analysis should be done in all stone-forming patients, along with basic investigations to identify possible underlying medical problems. Those with high likelihood of stone recurrence should undergo further metabolic investigations so that specific advice can be given to avoid stone recurrence.

Nephrolithiasis is an ancient disease that has been described in a 5000-year-old mummy by an English archeologist, E. Smith, in 1901. Treatment for kidney stones was mentioned throughout the ages, in ancient India’s writing of Sushruta, Hippocrates in Greece, and Rhazes and Albucasis in Cordoba during the tenth–eleventh century, before being transferred to Europe during the Renaissance period (Tefekli and Cezayirli, ScientificWorldJournal 2013:423964, 2013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Wan Ahmad Hafiz Wan Md Adnan

  2. Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Sagar U. Nigwekar

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  1. Wan Ahmad Hafiz Wan Md Adnan
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  2. Sagar U. Nigwekar
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Correspondence to Sagar U. Nigwekar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, MA, USA

    Haewook Han

  2. Division of Nephrology, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA, USA

    Walter P. Mutter

  3. Department of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, MA, USA

    Samer Nasser

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Adnan, W.A.H.W.M., Nigwekar, S.U. (2019). Calcium Stone: Pathophysiology, Prevention, and Medical Management. In: Han, H., Mutter, W., Nasser, S. (eds) Nutritional and Medical Management of Kidney Stones. Nutrition and Health. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15534-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15534-6_7

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