UNDERSTANDING THE ETIOPATHOGENESIS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF RENAL CALCULI

Abstract

Calculus (Stone) is a polycrystalline aggregate made up of different quantities of the crystalloid and organic matrix. Urine calculus is a stone-like formation made up of urine salts held together by a colloid matrix or organic elements. It has a nucleus or nidus around which concentric layers of urinary salts are formed, giving it a stone-like appear- ance. Urolithiasis (from Greek oûron, "urine," and lithos, "stone") is a urinary system pathology in which urinary crystalloids clump together anywhere in the urinary tract, from the kidney to the bladder. The kidneys play a critical role in excreting waste products from the body, but various problems can disrupt the urinary system's crucial activ- ities and cause illnesses, one of which is urolithiasis. Urinary calculi are worldwide in distribution but are particu- larly common in some geographic locations such as in parts of the United States, South Africa, India and South- East Asia. Renal calculi are characterised clinically by colicky pain (renal colic) as they pass down along the ureter and manifest by haematuria. This article focuses on the etiopathogenesis of Renal Stone, predisposing factors, and its pathophysiology for a better understanding of the disease so that its formation can be prevented, and the formed calculi can be treated with better knowledge. Keywords: Urinary Stones, Oxalates, Predisposing factors: urinary crystalloids, Hyperoxaluria, Hypercalciuria, Super-Saturation Theory, Nucleation Theory, Randall’s plaque