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Genetics and Stones

Stone Fighter #98F3B6May 13, 2026👁️ 2.5k❤️ 137

Strategy: Patient journey

I’ve had 2 stones in <4 years where I’m younger than 25 but have a grandparents and parent with stones 2x before. I initially attributed the stones to my parent’s overall bad health (ie high blood sugar, stress, unhealthy diet) but living relatively healthy I’ve experienced the same stone amount much much younger than anyone in my family.

Ive done the urine tests and done blood work with nothing unusual but I’m so scared for what’s wrong with me genetically and what the future holds for me for an imaginary family or for enjoying my life.

My stones have been 1-3mm and have hurt immensely. I’m getting treatment (laser) to remove some remaining stones that are similar in size. Has anyone struggled with wondering if they’re bad genetically or will pass on something bad genetically or worrying about how they’ll live their life with this looming kidney stone forming threat for the rest of their life?

I’m not sure if I’m spiraling or if anyone has felt the same

Comments (1)

Stone Fighter #CE87F0Apr 24, 2026

What are the stones made of?

Stone Fighter #8B892CApr 24, 2026

Oxalate ones

Stone Fighter #CE87F0Apr 24, 2026

There are a few rare causes of genetically driven oxalate stones, but typically these are seen in patients who get stones earlier on in life and get severely impacted. Most oxalate stones don’t fall into that category and whilst there are some mild genetic factors, other things come into play such as diet, hydration, and environment. I have cystinuria which is one of the very few conditions that is entirely genetically caused which is hugely important for those who suffer from it. Now tha...

Stone Fighter #8B892CApr 24, 2026

That’s interesting I’ll look into that. I was reading and I thought that some of the research was showing that having family history, especially on your mother’s side significantly increases your chance of getting kidney stones like 2-3 fold chance and strongly increases the chance of stone reoccurrence. Maybe my searches have been skewing the responses one sided to show me these daunting figures. Do you have any suggested papers to read about genetics and kidney stones? I’ve been readi...

Stone Fighter #CE87F0Apr 24, 2026

Calcium oxalate stones form the bulk of stones and 10% of the population get stones and so the vast majority have no identifiable genetic predisposition to get the commonest style of stones. Yes, having a strong family history can mildly increase the likelihood of you getting stones but the risks remain relatively low (20% risk versus cystinurics risk of 100%!) Concentrate on factors that you can modify, consistent and adequate hydration, targeting 3litre per day, ensure that you aren’t ea...

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