Medical Geochemistry Case of Urinary Stones

Urinary stones have become increasingly common in most parts of the world. Countries in the Middle East (especially Jordan) are categorized in the Afro-Asian stone belt and fall within the tropical and subtropical regions that have consistently reported a high incidence of urolithiasis with a high incidence among children. A specific problem of the Middle East region is the neglected asymptomatic large and staghorn. Human life is not possible without renal function, but urinary stones can quickly lead to failure of the kidneys, which is life threatening. Urinary stones are hard masses developed from organic materials and inorganic crystals (mainly of calcium, phosphate, magnesium salts, oxalate, and/or uric acid) that separate from the urine and build up on the ureter and/or on the inner surface of the kidney. Urinary stones are formed when there is a high concentration level of certain substances, especially calcium, oxalate, cystine, uric acid in the urine, lack of citrate in the urine, or insufficient water in the kidneys to dissolve waste products.