Question

I recently had a very painful kidney stone and want to prevent that from ever happening again. I read that primary hyperparathyroidism can cause kidney stones. How can I figure out if that is what is going on?

Answer

Deva Boone, MD is the founder of the Southwest Parathyroid Center. As one of the most experienced parathyroid surgeons in the U.S., she has treated thousands of patients with parathyroid conditions.

If you’ve had a kidney stone, I definitely understand the desire to avoid another one! Primary hyperparathyroidism can cause kidney stones, and it is appropriate to evaluate for this in anyone who has had a stone. The first thing to do is check your blood calcium levels. If you have a high calcium level, then this could be the cause of your kidney stones. You would then want to check calcium and PTH together. If the calcium is high and the PTH level is high or normal, then you likely have primary hyperparathyroidism. Having parathyroid surgery to removed the diseased parathyroid glands will prevent further kidney stones.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is not the only thing that can cause kidney stones. If your calcium level is normal, then something else is causing the stones. You will likely need further workup with a urologist or nephrologist.

Symptoms Kidney stones Diagnosis