Most people who have had more than one kidney stone are likely to form another. Therefore, prevention is very important. There are two types of preventive measures that help in preventing other kidney stones from developing; these are life-style changes and medical intervention. Kidney stones do occur in certain metabolic disorders or structural abnormalities of the genito-urinary system. Blood and urine analysis are used to detect such abnormalities. The correction or treatment of the disorder is the mainstay in the prevention against this recurrent disease. Also the first time stone patients have a higher risk of stone disease again. It is advised that they be screened with an ultrasound and X-ray for asymptomatic disease. However, many of the patients' don't have evident abnormality on the metabolic work-up. 30-50% of people with a first kidney stone will get a second one within five years. The risk of getting a second stone is about 5-10% each year. Some of the preventive measures for kidney stone recurrence are as follows:
Life-style changes:
? Increase water intake. The risk of getting a second stone can be reduced by half through drinking enough water to produce two or more liters of urine a day.
? People with high level of uric acid in their urine or who make uric acid stones, the drug allopurinol can reduce the rate of recurrence of stones.
? If stones are associated with infection, complete clearance of both the stones and the infection is required if recurrence is to be avoided.
? Limit the amount of calcium and oxalate-based foods eaten. These include apples, black pepper, chocolate, coffee, cheese, grapes, ice cream, vitamin C, yogurt, tomatoes and oranges, to name a few.
? Limit the amount of animal protein eaten.
? Limit salt intake.
? Limit supplemental intake of vitamin C and D. Consult the doctor before taking vitamin supplements.
? Limit alcohol consumption.
Medical interventions:
? For calcium stones, the doctor may prescribe thiazide diuretics or phosphate-containing preparations. Additionally, in hyperparathyroid patients, removal of all or part of the parathyroid glands located in the neck helps prevent further stone development.
? For uric stones, the doctor may prescribe allopurinol and a medicine to keep the urine alkaline.
? For struvite stones, the doctor will monitor the urine for bacteria on a regular basis. Additionally, if struvite stones cannot be removed, the doctor may prescribe acetohydroamic acid (AHA). AHA is used with long-term antibiotics to prevent the infection that leads to stone growth.
? For cystine stones, the doctor may prescribe Thiola. This medication helps reduce the amount of cystine in the urine.
