最終更新日: 8月 30, 2026

Kidney stones are among the commonest problems I see. Reported lifetime risk is at least 10% in US and European populations, and figures as high as 17% have been reported in this region — a difference that is itself a clue to what causes them. This article explains why stones form.

There is no single answer, because stone formation is multifactorial. The starting point is what the kidney does: it filters waste products from the blood and excretes them in urine. That makes the kidney the one place in the body where ions such as calcium, phosphate, uric acid and oxalate are routinely concentrated. When their concentration climbs high enough, they crystallise — and a stone begins.

A kidney stone formed from crystallised mineral ions in the kidney
A stone forms when urinary ions reach a high enough concentration to crystallise.

Before the causes: the one situation that is an emergency

This article is about prevention, which is a calm subject. Stone disease has one situation that is not, and it is worth knowing before the rest.

A stone that blocks the drainage from a kidney is uncomfortable. A stone that blocks a kidney および that kidney becomes infected is a different matter entirely: the infection is trapped behind the blockage with nowhere to go, and a previously well person can become dangerously ill within hours. It is one of the few true emergencies in urology, and the treatment is to drain the kidney urgently rather than to wait for antibiotics to work.

Go to an emergency department the same day — in Thailand you can call 1669 — if you have:

1. Host factors — the ones you cannot change

Illustration of the roughly 2:1 male to female ratio in kidney stone incidence
Men develop kidney stones about twice as often as women.
Blood glucose testing, representing diabetes as a kidney stone risk factor
Diabetes and obesity both raise the risk of stone formation.

2. 環境要因 — the ones you can

Map illustrating the higher incidence of kidney stones in tropical regions
Hot climates mean more fluid lost as sweat, less urine, and more concentrated ions.
A glass of water, the simplest and most effective kidney stone prevention measure
Drinking more water is the easiest way to lower your risk.
Lemons and citrus fruit, natural dietary sources of stone-inhibiting citrate
Citrate, abundant in lemons and other citrus fruit, inhibits stone formation.

Kidney stone disease is sometimes described as a metabolic disease rather than a plumbing problem, because so much of what drives it is happening in the body’s chemistry rather than in the kidney itself. That framing is useful for patients: it explains why stones tend to come back if nothing changes, and why prevention is built out of daily habits rather than a single procedure. Look again at the second list — every item on it is something you can act on.

What a prevention plan actually involves

General advice suits most people who have had one stone. Where stones keep returning, where they start young, where there are several at once or in both kidneys, or where there is a strong family history, the useful next step is to stop guessing and measure. That usually means three things together: analysing the stone itself, a blood test looking at kidney function, calcium, uric acid and related chemistry, and a collection of urine over a full day to see what is actually being excreted and in what concentration.

That is what turns advice into a plan. It can reveal a specific, treatable reason for the stones — an overactive parathyroid gland, a problem with how the kidney handles acid, gout, a bowel condition affecting absorption, or repeated infection producing a particular kind of stone — and each of those has its own treatment rather than being helped by drinking more water alone. It is worth asking for if you have been through the same advice more than once and are still forming stones.

One practical note for anyone who has already passed a stone: keep it and take it to your urologist. Knowing what the stone was made of is what turns general prevention advice into a plan aimed at your particular chemistry. A stone caught in a strainer and put in a clean container tells us more than most scans.

再発性の腎臓結石がある方や、個別の予防プランをご希望の方は、ソラウィー・ウィーラソポン医師がバンコク病院本院で専門的な診察を提供しています。. 診療をご予約。Samitivej Sriracha Hospital での予約は、泌尿器科に電話でお問い合わせください。電話番号: 088-022-1445。診察、検査、治療の費用に関するご質問は、病院に直接お問い合わせください。Bangkok Hospital の場合は、次のメールアドレスまでご連絡ください: bhquro@bdms.co.th.

Prevention planning suits a video consultation particularly well, since it is built from your history, your previous imaging and your test results rather than from an examination. Bangkok Hospital runs a Telemedicine service, arranged in advance by email to the Urology department at bhquro@bdms.co.th — send any previous stone analysis, scan reports and blood results with the request. Acute stone pain is a different matter and should be seen in person, or in an emergency department if any of the warning signs above apply. Samitivej Sriracha is in-person only.

腎臓結石の形成に関するよくある質問

腎臓結石はなぜできるのですか。

尿中のカルシウム、シュウ酸塩、リン酸塩、尿酸などの特定のミネラルやイオンが結晶化するのに十分な高濃度になると、腎結石が形成されます。腎臓は通常、これらの物質を血液からろ過しますが、水分摂取量が少ない場合や食事からの摂取量が過剰な場合、これらのイオンは蓄積し、結石への凝集が始まります。.

腎臓結石を発症するリスクが最も高いのは誰ですか?

Kidney stones are more common in men than women at a ratio of approximately 2:1, and most commonly occur between the ages of 40 and 60. Obesity and diabetes raise the risk by around 55% and 59% respectively. Family history is stronger than most people expect: twin and family studies estimate the heritability of stone disease at roughly 46 to 63%, and having a parent or sibling who forms stones raises risk about three-fold. Those living in tropical climates are also more susceptible due to increased fluid loss through sweating.

Are kidney stones hereditary?

To a substantial degree, yes. Twin and family studies put the heritability of stone disease at approximately 46 to 63%, and a parent or sibling who forms stones raises your own risk roughly three-fold, making family history one of the strongest predictors of recurrence. In a minority of patients a single identifiable gene is responsible, found in around 10% of adults and up to 30% of children with stones, which is why stone disease starting in childhood or early adulthood deserves a full metabolic assessment rather than general advice. Inheritance is not destiny, however: the genetic component sets baseline risk, while fluid intake, diet, weight and climate largely determine whether stones actually form. Regional and ethnic differences in stone rates are real but cannot be attributed mainly to genetics, because diet, climate and hydration vary with geography too.

腎結石が緊急の場合にはいつですか?

Fever or shaking chills together with flank or back pain is the situation that matters most: a kidney blocked by a stone that then becomes infected traps the infection behind the blockage, and a previously well person can become dangerously ill within hours. The treatment is urgent drainage of the kidney rather than waiting for antibiotics to work. Go to an emergency department the same day, or call 1669 in Thailand. The same applies to pain that painkillers are not controlling, persistent vomiting, passing little or no urine, feeling faint or confused, or any stone pain in someone with a single working kidney or a transplant.

水をたくさん飲むことは、腎結石の予防につながりますか?

Yes. Increasing fluid intake is one of the most effective and practical ways to reduce kidney stone risk. Every additional 500 mL of water per day significantly lowers the risk by diluting urinary ion concentrations. A daily water intake of at least 2,500 mL is recommended for stone prevention. Anyone with heart or kidney disease, or on fluid restriction for another reason, should agree their target with their own doctor first.

腎臓結石のリスクを高める食品は何ですか?

A high intake of sodium, oxalate-rich foods (such as spinach and nuts), excess vitamin C supplements, and imbalanced calcium intake can all increase the risk of stone formation. High-protein diets and excessive animal meat consumption raise urinary uric acid levels, contributing to uric acid stones. Cutting dietary calcium is usually counterproductive, since it increases oxalate absorption and can make stones more likely.

レモン汁は本当に腎臓結石の予防に役立ちますか?

はい。レモンやその他の柑橘類には、腎臓結石の形成を自然に阻害するクエン酸塩が豊富に含まれています。クエン酸塩は、尿中のカルシウムと結合することで結晶の凝集を防ぎます。毎日コップ1杯のレモン汁を飲むことは、シュウ酸カルシウム結石のリスクがある患者にとって、シンプルで科学的根拠のある食事療法です。.

I keep forming stones despite following the advice. What else can be done?

Stop guessing and measure. Where stones recur, begin at a young age, occur in numbers or in both kidneys, or run in the family, the useful step is a metabolic assessment: analysis of the stone itself, blood tests covering kidney function, calcium and uric acid, and a full day’s urine collection to see what is actually being excreted and at what concentration. This can identify a specific treatable cause such as an overactive parathyroid gland, a problem with how the kidney handles acid, gout, a bowel condition affecting absorption, or repeated infection producing a particular stone type. Each of those has its own treatment and is not solved by drinking more water alone.

Can I plan stone prevention by video consultation?

Yes, and it suits this particularly well, because a prevention plan is built from history, previous imaging and test results rather than from an examination. Bangkok Hospital Headquarters offers a Telemedicine service, arranged in advance by email to the Urology department at bhquro@bdms.co.th; send any previous stone analysis, scan reports and blood results with the request. Acute stone pain should be seen in person, or in an emergency department if the warning signs above apply. Samitivej Sriracha is in-person only, booked through the Urology department line 088-022-1445.

免責事項: This content is written and reviewed by Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone, a board-certified urologist at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters. It is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Fluid targets and dietary changes need adjusting for your own kidney and heart health, and no prescribed medicine should be stopped on the basis of this article. No medical advice, diagnosis or prescription is provided through personal messaging channels or social media. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any medical treatment. In an emergency, attend the nearest emergency department — in Thailand the emergency number is 1669.

医学的な執筆・監修:ソアラウィー・ウェーラソポーン医師(ドクター・ポム)― 泌尿器科専門医、バンコク病院本院、2016年より泌尿器科臨床に従事。専門研修:ロボット支援手術、長庚紀念医院、台湾(2019年) · 見学研修:内泌尿器科、順天堂大学医学部附属順天堂医院、東京(2022年) · 研究員および臨床見学者、スコット泌尿器科部門、ベイラー医科大学、米国(2025~2026年)。.

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