New Study changes everything we know about kidney stones

Geobiology reveals how human kidney stones dissolve in vivo

(Complete study in link)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-31890-9

Abstract

More than 10% of the global human population is now afflicted with kidney stones, which are commonly associated with other significant health problems including diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Nearly 70% of these stones are primarily composed of calcium oxalate, a mineral previously assumed to be effectively insoluble within the kidney. This has limited currently available treatment options to painful passage and/or invasive surgical procedures. We analyze kidney stone thin sections with a combination of optical techniques, which include bright field, polarization, confocal and super-resolution nanometer-scale auto-fluorescence microscopy. Here we demonstrate using interdisciplinary geology and biology (geobiology) approaches that calcium oxalate stones undergo multiple events of dissolution as they crystallize and grow within the kidney. These observations open a fundamentally new paradigm for clinical approaches that include in vivo stone dissolution and identify high-frequency layering of organic matter and minerals as a template for biomineralization in natural and engineered settings.

Thanks for the link to this study Yoly, it is detailed.

Amazing to think that Kidney stones have been formally studied by western medicine since 1802, and more than 10% of the global human population is now afflicted with kidney stones, which are commonly associated with other significant health problems including diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

I believe one of the best things to do to avoid getting kidney stones, is making sure you drink plenty of water every day so you don't become dehydrated...

Knowing my liking for tea, I wonder if the number of cups of tea I drink per day count towards this …

All the best Jan

Recently on the news, kidney stones can be dislodged by riding on a roller coaster. In the past they were shattered using lasers or focussed ultrasound, I don't know if they still do that.

I had absolutely no idea they were so common.

It's the bread and butter of urologist. Interventions for kidney stones made them a lot of money. I have heard many cardiologist complain that now that cardiac bypass have become less used, now urologist make more money because of the many kidney stone interventions and operations. They said that kidney stone were set, if they dissolve, there could be more ways to help. There is more water like Jan said and there are herbs that can also help. That were used by some cultures to dissolve stones, but urologist claimed that was not possible. Maybe they later come out with a pill if is profitable for some pharmaceutical.

Yes it's fascinating to see how they actually form (stalagmites and stalactites come to mind).

I cut one of my gallstones in half with a scalpel and it had a similar laminar structure. They develop from the unused bile crystallising, probably every time you don't eat fat another layer is added. Similarly drugs which dissolved the stones were tried but AFAICR while they worked the stones usually came back. Well that's what the surgeons said.