Kidney Stones Caused by More Than Protease Inhibitors

HIV-positive adults with kidney stones should undergo complete metabolic evaluations because the stones are likely to be caused by calcium salts or uric acid, not by crystallized protease inhibitors, which was once thought a primary cause of the stones, say researchers at Northwestern University School of Medicine. Writing in the February edition of the Journal of Urology, the researchers noted that of 14 study patients being treated with Crixivan who developed kidney stones, only four of them'less than 30%'had stones composed of crystallized protease inhibitors. They recommend that HIV-positive patients with kidney stones receive comprehensive urine analyses, blood tests, and screening for malnutrition, infectious diarrhea, and bowel disease, all of which can contribute to the development of kidney stones.