General and Specific Dietary Advice for the Prevention of Stone Recurrence

Abstract

This chapter describes the various general and specific dietary regimens that can be used to advise patients on how to prevent the recurrence of their calcium- and uric acid-containing kidney stones. The conclusion is that although there is some general advice that may be useful to most patients, it is more efficacious to screen the patient in order to identify his/her main urinary, metabolic, nutritional, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors for stone formation and then tailor specific advice for that patient on the basis of the findings from these detailed investigations. If the patient can be motivated to adhere strictly over a long time period to this conservative approach to the prophylactic management of their stone problem, then it is possible to prevent their forming further stones. Although this approach to stone management may be relatively expensive in the short term, it is not as expensive as any of the procedures currently available for stone removal or disintegration and in the long term may save health authorities considerable sums within their hospital budgets. It will also be of considerable benefit to the patient not to have to suffer the discomfort and inconvenience of further stone episodes and would save the Exchequer considerable sums in unclaimed sick pay and industry a significant number of days lost from work.