A less common type of stone is caused by infection in the urinary tract. This type of stone is called a struvite or infection stone. Much less common are the uric acid stone and the rare cystine stone. Urolithiasis is the medical term used to describe stones occurring in the urinary tract. Other frequently used terms are urinary tract stone disease and nephrolithiasis.
Doctors also use terms that describe the location of the stone in the urinary tract.
Gallstones and kidney stones are not related. They form in different areas of the body. If a person has a gallstone, he or she is not necessarily more likely to develop kidney stones. For some unknown reason, the number of persons in the United States with kidney stones has been increasing over the past 20 years. White people are more prone to kidney stones than are black people.