National Nursing Review : Nursing Study Resources & Health Tips

It is a disease characterized by the presence of one or more gallstones (ie, mineral concretion or calculus) in the urinary tract, mostly the upper urinary tract.
It is a predominantly male disease, more common in hot and high standard of living. Frequency: 32/100 000 new cases per year between the ages of 20 and 60, involving 2 men and a woman with a familial incidence found in 50% of cases.

Aetiology and predisposing factors:
Gallstone formation is favored by the hyper-concentration in the urine of some mineral components, such as oxalate and calcium phosphate. A supersaturated urine allows the formation of a nidus homogeneous or heterogeneous matrix used in the formation of a small crystal. This will increase volume and give rise to a large stone or may aggregate with other crystals to form an identical crystal aggregation.
The etiology is unknown in 60% cases, followed by:

• Hypercalciuria idiopathic, autosomal dominant, with urinary leakage or increased intestinal absorption of calcium;
• by hypercalciuria hyperparathyroidism
• hypercalciuria Intoxication with vitamin D, A
• hypercalciuria associated with neoplasia, Kahler disease, Paget
• abnormal metabolism of uric acid
• hyperoxaluira primitive or family
  syndrome ureteropelvic junction.

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