Based on this, the doctor told Daniel to eat fewer foods containing calcium or oxalate and provided Daniel with a list of foods to limit. He also told Daniel to continue to drink at least two quarts of water each day. The presence of kidney stones, or urinary caliculi, in the urinary tract is called urolithiasis. These stones form from materials that are excreted by the kidneys. Normally these excreted materials stay dissolved in urine, but in some individuals they form precipitates that can develop into kidney stones.
Kidney stones can form from several different substances.
Kidney stone analysis, blood tests, and urinalysis all assist a physician in determining how best to avoid the development of future stones. Calcium stones are most common, comprising between 80 and 90 percent of urinary caliculi. The calcium stones are formed from calcium phosphate or calcium oxalate, and persons predisposed to developing these stones are often instructed to decrease calcium and oxalate intake. In some cases, medications are prescribed that decrease calcium excretion by the kidneys or alter urine pH, a factor in kidney stone formation. The pain associated with the blockage of the urinary tract by a kidney stone is called renal colic and can be very intense.