Human kidney stones are at least as old as the Giza pyramids. The oldest known kidney stone was found in Egyptian burial satin from 4400 B.C. In 2020, Mayo Clinic processed and analyzed some 90,000 kidney stones from all over the world. That number increases each year, reflecting a global uptick in kidney stone disease. But new research has unlocked how kidney stones actually form, which could be the key to treating or even eliminating this often painful kidney stones condition. 

About three years ago, an interdisciplinary, collaborative study between Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois debunked the consensus that kidney stones grow in a methodical, layer-by-layer process and are hard to dissolve. “It’s been thought that, once they grow and develop, you’re not going to dissolve the calcium kidney stones under conditions that would typically be found in your kidney,” says John Lieske, M.D., nephrologist and director of Mayo Clinic’s Rare Kidney Stone Consortium, who co-leads the team.

Contrary to this longtime belief, the study found that calcium oxalate kidney stones form much the same way as travertine, a rock found in Mammoth Hot Springs of Yellowstone National Park. In other words, kidney stones, like rocks formed in natural environments, “undergo previously unforeseen cycles of repeated crystallization, dissolution, fracturing and faulting.” This process of post-formational physical, chemical, and biological alteration is called diagenesis.

The discovery opens the way for new, unorthodox treatments for kidney stones, and was possible by joining University of Illinois’ geology and biology (geobiology) forces with Mayo’s urology and nephrology expertise.

The study involves researchers from Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine, including  Nicholas Chia, Ph.D., co-director of the  Microbiome program.

“For decades, we thought that kidney stones formed in a slow, steady, layer-by-layer process like dust settling in your house. However, new high-resolution cross sections of these stones indicate they repeatedly grow and dissolve on their way to becoming a fully formed stone. There are periods of rapid growth, large missing gaps and dissolution — it’s a back-and-forth process. This suggests that stones grow over time in a more complicated way than we previously knew, and that there may be new ways to prevent them,” says Dr. Chia. “We are very excited because we see the same types of patterns in kidney stones, Yellowstone rocks and many other environments on Earth."

This article is written by Christopher Bahn. Read more from Mayo Clinic Laboratories.

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Other Mayo Clinic medical research websites:

• Research at Mayo Clinic
• Discovery’s Edge
• Advancing the Science
• Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine
• Center for Regenerative Medicine
• Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery
• Mayo Clinic Laboratories
• Forefront

The post Science Saturday: How geologic rock formations inform novel treatments for kidney stones appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

About 1 in 10 Americans will have to deal with kidney stones in their lifetime. The stones, which are mineral and salt deposits, happen for various reasons. However, one dietary issue is a common culprit.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:00) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"Kidney stones — they form in your kidney itself," explains Dr. John Lieske, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist. "And at some point, they can break off of wherever they're attached in your kidney. And then that's usually when people get into trouble."

Dr. Lieske says that besides the intense pain associated with kidney stones, there's a chance for infection.

A diet high in protein and sodium can put you at an increased risk for the stones. But the biggest issue is lack of water.

"If you're not drinking enough water, which is part of your diet, your urine's going to be more concentrated," adds Dr. Lieske.

Concentrated urine allows small particles within it to stick together, increasing the chance for stones. So prevention can start at the tap.

"Being hydrated, that's a simple one," concludes Dr. Lieske.

To ward off stones, drink water every day. Adult men should aim for at least 3.7 liters. Adult women and older teens should get at least 2.7 liters.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding kidney stones appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The stones, which are mineral and salt deposits, happen for various reasons. However, one dietary issue is a common culprit.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:00) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"Kidney stones — they form in your kidney itself," explains Dr. John Lieske, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist. "And at some point, they can break off of wherever they're attached in your kidney. And then that's usually when people get into trouble."

Dr. Lieske says that besides the intense pain associated with kidney stones, there's a chance for infection.

A diet high in protein and sodium can put you at an increased risk for the stones. But the biggest issue is lack of water.

"If you're not drinking enough water, which is part of your diet, your urine's going to be more concentrated," adds Dr. Lieske.

Concentrated urine allows small particles within it to stick together, increasing the chance for stones. So prevention can start at the tap.

"Being hydrated, that's a simple one," concludes Dr. Lieske.

To ward off stones, drink water every day. Adult men should aim for at least 3.7 liters. Adult women and older teens should get at least 2.7 liters.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Avoiding kidney stones appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Listen: Mayo Clinic Radio 8/10/19

On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases and vaccine expert, gives an update on infectious disease hot topics, including Lyme disease, the ongoing concern about measles, the hope for a universal flu vaccine and new age guidelines for the HPV vaccine. Also on the podcast, Dr. John Lieske explains how kidney stones form and how they are treated. Dr. Lieske also discusses a new kidney stone prevention study at Mayo Clinic. And Jessica Erickson, a Mayo Clinic patient, along with her Mayo Clinic plastic surgeon, Dr. Basel Sharaf, share her successful weight-loss journey, which included bariatric surgery.

The post #MayoClinicRadio podcast: 8/10/19 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Whether it's Lyme disease or the ongoing concern about measles, infectious diseases and vaccines are hot topics in the news. Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person. Some are transmitted by insects or other animals. Many infectious diseases, such as measles and chickenpox, can be prevented by vaccines. 

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases and vaccine expert, will give an update on infectious disease hot topics, including the hope for a universal flu vaccine and new age guidelines for the HPV vaccine. Also on the program, Dr. John Lieske will explain how kidney stones form and how they are treated. Dr. Lieske also will discuss a new kidney stone prevention study at Mayo Clinic. And Jessica Erickson, a Mayo Clinic patient, along with her Mayo Clinic plastic surgeon, Dr. Basel Sharaf, will share her successful weight-loss journey, which included bariatric surgery.

Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

The post Infectious disease and vaccine hot topics: Lyme, measles, flu and HPV: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Whether it's Lyme disease or the ongoing concern about measles, infectious diseases and vaccines are hot topics in the news. Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person. Some are transmitted by insects or other animals. Many infectious diseases, such as measles and chickenpox, can be prevented by vaccines. 

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases and vaccine expert, will give an update on infectious disease hot topics, including the hope for a universal flu vaccine and new age guidelines for the HPV vaccine. Also on the program, Dr. John Lieske will explain how kidney stones form and how they are treated. Dr. Lieske also will discuss a new kidney stone prevention study at Mayo Clinic. And Jessica Erickson, a Mayo Clinic patient, along with her Mayo Clinic plastic surgeon, Dr. Basel Sharaf, will share her successful weight-loss journey, which included bariatric surgery.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show? Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Infectious disease and vaccine hot topics: Lyme, measles, flu and HPV appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases and vaccine expert, will give an update on infectious disease hot topics, including the hope for a universal flu vaccine and new age guidelines for the HPV vaccine. Also on the program, Dr. John Lieske will explain how kidney stones form and how they are treated. Dr. Lieske also will discuss a new kidney stone prevention study at Mayo Clinic. And Jessica Erickson, a Mayo Clinic patient, along with her Mayo Clinic plastic surgeon, Dr. Basel Sharaf, will share her successful weight-loss journey, which included bariatric surgery.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show? Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Infectious disease update / kidney stones prevention / bariatric surgery patient appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Kidney stones are a common and painful condition, with many sufferers experiencing recurrent episodes. Most people who pass an initial stone want to know their chances of future episodes, but this has not always been easy to predict. Now Mayo Clinic researchers are tracking the familiar characteristics of kidney stone formers in an online prediction tool that could help sufferers anticipate if they'll experience future episodes. The study was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Using data obtained from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a team of researchers explored a sampling of chronic kidney stone formers from Olmsted County between 1984 and 2017. Common features of patients who had recurrent stone events included younger age, male sex, a higher body mass index, history of pregnancy, and a family history of stones. Researchers also noted that stone recurrence tended to increase after each subsequent event, and the size and location of stones also associated with the risk of future episodes.

By using these features to develop a Recurrence of Kidney Stone online prediction tool, researchers were able to improve upon known criteria for future stone formation. By entering information such as gender, race and an individual's kidney stone history, the tool can generate an estimate of recurrence. “Each of the risk factors we identified are entered into the model, which then calculates an estimate of the risk of h0aving another kidney stone in the next five or 10 years,” explains John Lieske, M.D., one of the study researchers.

Updating the Recurrence of Kidney Stone model with data collected from the study has improved the tool's ability to predict subsequent events. Since the risk of stone recurrence varies depending on individual factors, this information can be useful for patients or caregivers when deciding how aggressively they want to adopt measures to reduce risk for stone recurrence. The tool, which is available online or as an app, also can be used in research studies to identify those patients most likely to have more kidney stone attacks.

Data used in the Recurrence of Kidney Stone model were based on results from Olmsted County, Minnesota. These data will need to be validated in other parts of the country to establish whether the findings are translatable to other settings.

Having a baseline knowledge of risk factors for stone recurrence and the potential for future episodes can be an incentive for individuals to modify lifestyle behaviors. By knowing the likelihood of future kidney stone episodes, Dr. Lieske notes that this could help encourage a patient's “enthusiasm for adopting dietary measures and/or starting drug regimens to prevent future attacks.”

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About Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Mayo Clinic Proceedings is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal that publishes original articles and reviews dealing with clinical and laboratory medicine, clinical research, basic science research and clinical epidemiology. Mayo Clinic Proceedings is sponsored by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research as part of its commitment to physician education. It publishes submissions from authors worldwide. The journal has been published for more than 80 years and has a circulation of 130,000. Articles are online at mayoclinicproceedings.org. 

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, comprehensive care to everyone who needs healing. Learn more about Mayo Clinic. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Media contact:

• Emily Blahnik, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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