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Risk Factors for Calcium Stones
Calcium stones can prove to be a serious, and painful, problem. Also called kidney stones, they are small-sized, deposits which are hard and develop in the kidneys from minerals and acid salts. They have many causes, but generally they are caused when urine becomes too highly concentrated with minerals, allowing them to crystalize. While the stone typically do not cause any sort of permanent damage, they can be very painful to pass. Pain medication may be needed, water must be consumed in large amounts and surgery may be needed.
Risk Factors
There are risk factors associated with calcium stones. These risk factors are:
- Family History: If someone in your family has a history of kidney stones, you are more likely to have them.
- Personal History: If you have had a kidney stone in the past, there is the increased chance that you could have them again in the future.
- Age: If you over the age of 40, and a male, you are at an increased risk for kidney stones. It should be noted that kidney stones can occur at any age though.
- Dehydration: If you don’t drink enough water in a day, you can increase your risk of calcium stones. If you sweat a lot and live in a warm climate, you are also at increased risk.
- Unhealthy Diet: If you eat a diet with lots of sodium and sugar, then you increase your risk of calcium stones. If you have a high-sodium diet, then you are at great risk for stones.
- Obesity: If your body mass index is very high, or you have a large waist size, then you are at an increased risk for kidney stones and a number of other health dangers.
- Digestive Diseases: If you have IBD, chronic diarrhea, gastric bypass surgery, then you may have had changes to your dietary process that can cause calcium stones to form.
- Medical Conditions: Renal tubular acidosis and other medical conditions can increase your risk of calcium stones.
Having kidney stones is never fun, and can be a horrible thing to go through. However, if you practice a good diet and take care to prevent controllable risk factors, you can reduce your risk.
