Although kidney stones are a benign disease, they may sometimes block the urinary tract and impede the discharge of urine, causing pain, hydronephrosis, and in severe cases, uremia or even tumors. Kidney stones are characterized by complex etiology, diverse components, non-specific symptoms, and multiple and highly specialized treatments. In particular, the treatment should be based on the different conditions of the stone to develop different strategies and choose the best method. Therefore, when you have kidney stones, you need to go to a regular hospital for consultation and treatment. Components of kidney stones There are dozens of known components of kidney stones. The stones are usually classified into four major categories: calcium stones, infectious stones, uric acid stones and cystine stones. 80% of kidney stones are calcium stones, mainly calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate. Infectious stones account for about 10%, and the main component is ammonium magnesium phosphate. Uric acid stones account for about 10%, and the incidence of uric acid stones has been gradually increasing in recent years. Cystine stones account for only about 1% of all stones. In addition, there are some drug stones and stromal stones. Clinically, most stones contain more than one component. Causes and pathogenesis of kidney stones There are many causes of kidney stones, including genetic, metabolic, infectious, environmental, dietary, anatomical, and pharmacological factors. The pathogenesis is also very complex. We can briefly introduce the formation of kidney stones by understanding the composition of urine. The main function of urination is to excrete various wastes produced by metabolism. A person excretes about 1500ml of urine every day, taking away about 30g-50g of waste products. These wastes include: urea, uric acid, creatinine, various acids (hydrogen ions, lactic acid, glucuronic acid, beta-hydroxybutyric acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, etc.), and various salts (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, ammonia, chloride, etc.). The concentration of these substances in urine is high, but the human kidneys can keep these substances in balance and excrete them from the body in a dissolved state. If there is too little urine, the less soluble of these substances, such as calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, uric acid, and magnesium ammonium phosphate, will form crystals – tiny stones. Usually, these tiny stones are excreted unknowingly. The formation of these stones is caused by the alteration of certain components of the urine and the disturbance of the balance of the urine, resulting in the formation of microscopic stones, which grow in size under the long-term action of pathogenic factors and eventually develop into clinically significant kidney stones.