Understanding Kidney Stone Disease

Welcome

Stone disease is a painful and common condition that affects more than 5% of all adults in the US.1 It’s estimated that nearly 2 million patients visit their doctors or local emergency rooms because of kidney stones every year.2

If you’ve experienced a kidney stone, you know just how unpleasant a stone episode can be. So it’s important to understand not only how stones form, but what you can do to help prevent new stones. Kidney stones have a high rate of recurrence—in fact, first-time stone formers have a 30% to 50% chance of forming another stone within the next 5 years.3

Following your doctor’s advice is the most important thing you should do to manage your condition. This Web site also offers some simple and practical guidelines you can use in your daily life, along with information on key aspects of stone disease, including

  • How kidney stones develop
  • Types of kidney stones
  • Kidney stone symptoms
  • Causes of kidney stones
  • Diet recommendations
  1. National Kidney Foundation [Internet]. A to Z Health Guide Kidney Stones [cited 2010 Apr 13]. Available from: http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidneystones.cfm.
  2. Pearle MS, Calhoun EA, Curhan GC; Urologic Diseases of America Project. Urologic diseases in America project: urolithiasis.
  3. Hall PM. Nephrolithiasis: treatment, causes, and prevention. Cleveland Clinic J Urol. 2005 Mar;173(3):848-57.

This information is intended to augment, not replace, the advice of your doctor. If you have any questions about this content, please talk to your doctor.