Description
Kidney stones are common throughout the world although their prevalence varies with geographical location, climate, population, sex and dietary composition. Calcium stones are the commonest accounting for about 70% of all kidney stones. Various environmental, nutritional and metabolic factors contribute to or prevent lithogenesis. In addition with recent advances in molecular biology the role of genes has also been found to be important. This review gives an overview of the molecular basis of common kidney stone diseases as well as rarer ones such as cystine, uric acid and xanthine stones and our present understanding of the genetic defects/ polymorphisms responsible for them.
