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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Oct 13.
Published in final edited form as: N Engl J Med. 2010 Sep 2;363(10):954–963. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1001011

Table 3.

MAIN CAUSES OF CALCIUM STONES AND THEIR TREATMENTS

Disease Key Abnormalities SS Tissue Changes Treatment
Sca PTH Uca UpH UCit Uox Uur V CaOx CaP UA IP CDP
Idiopathic CaOx N N ↑ or N N ↓ or N ↑ or N ↑ or N ↓ or N H N,H N,H ↑ ↑ 0 Thiazide for IH; potassium citrate for CaOx, perhaps CaP stones.Allopurinol for hyperuricosuria. Na restriction, possible protein or oxalate restriction. Increased fluids.
Idiopathic CaP N N ↑ or N ↓or N N N N H H N N ↑ ↑
PHPT N N N N H H L ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Parathyroid surgery
Sarcoidosis N N N N N H H N ? ? Glucocorticoids, possible ketoconazole
Lithium use N N N N H H N ? ? Discontinue lithium
Oral supplements of calcium or vitamin D N or ↑ N N N N N N H H L ? ? Discontinue supplements
Ileostomy N or ↓ N N N H L H ↑ ↑ Fluids, alkali; supplements to reduce urine oxalate excretion for short bowel and bariatric surgery
Short bowel N or ↓ N N H L H N ↑ ↑
Bariatric surgery N or ↓ N N N N H N N N
RTA N N N or ↑ N N N H L N ↑ ↑ Alkali, possible thiazides

Abbreviations: SCa, serum calcium; PTH, parathyroid hormone; Uca, urine calcium excretion; UpH, urine pH; UCit, urine citrate excretion; UOx, urine oxalate excretion; Uur, urine uric acid excretion; V, urine volume; SS, supersaturation; CaOx, calcium oxalate; CaP, calcium phosphate; UA, uric acid; IP, interstitial apatite deposits (interstitial plaque); CDP, collecting duct (inner medullary and terminal ducts of Bellini) plugging with apatite deposits; IH, idiopathic hypercalciuria; PHPT, primary hyperparathyroidism; RTA, renal tubular acidosis; N, not different from normal; H, high; up and down arrows indicate change from normal people. ?, no available data; 0, not present.