• Kidney stones are made of salts and minerals in the urine that stick together to form small "pebbles." They can be as small as grains of sand or as large as golf balls.  They range in shape from smooth and round to jagged and spiked.
  
  
• There are different types of kidney stones. Most stones are a combination of calcium and oxalate.
  
  
• Kidney stones are most prevalent in patients between the ages of 30 and 45, and the incidence declines after age 50.
  
  
• 5% of all women have kidney stones, while 10% of all men are diagnosed with kidney stones. 
  
  
• Men between the ages of 40 to 65 are three to four times more likely to develop kidney stones than women.
  
  
• Caucasians are more prone to kidney stones than are African-Americans.
  
  
• If one family member has a kidney stone, the risk of another family member developing a stone increases.
  
  
• Once you have had kidney stones, you are likely to have more.  Without proper preventive treatment, recurrence rates are as high as 50 percent in the first five years and 80 percent in 10 years.
  
  
• Fewer than half of people with incidental stones will go on to develop a painful kidney stone attack. 
  
  
• About 90 percent of all stones that leave the kidney will pass through the ureter, without intervention, within three to six weeks. 
  
  
• It is impossible to predict when a kidney stone attack will occur.
  
  
• Eating citrus fruits and consuming lots of liquids-especially during the summer months-are the best approaches to avoiding kidney stones.
  
  
• Call your doctor when you have:
• Extreme pain in your back or side that will not go away
• Blood in your urine (urine will appear pink)
• Vomiting
• Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy
• A burning feeling when you urinate

These may be signs of a kidney stone that needs a doctor's care.