Question:

Laxative abuse causes which of the following renal stones?

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Think potassium loss from chronic diarrhoea and compensatory renal ammonium production.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Uric acid
  • Ammonium urate
  • Struvite
  • Ca oxalate
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Recall the common chemical types of renal calculi. Calcium oxalate stones form the majority; the others include uric acid stones, struvite (infection) stones, and rare cystine stones. Ammonium acid urate is an uncommon stone type with specific predisposing factors.
Step 2: Understand the metabolic effect of chronic laxative abuse. Persistent diarrhoea from laxative misuse causes significant gastrointestinal loss of potassium, leading to hypokalaemia.
Step 3: To compensate, the kidney increases renal ammonium production and excretion. The combination of high urinary ammonium, low urine volume, and chronic metabolic disturbance favours precipitation of ammonium acid urate crystals.
Step 4: This makes ammonium urate (option b) the characteristic stone of laxative abuse. Uric acid stones relate to acidic urine and hyperuricosuria, struvite stones follow urease-producing infections, and calcium oxalate is the general commonest stone but is not specific to laxative abuse.
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