Medullary sponge kidney

Medullary sponge kidney is a congenital disorder of the kidneys in which the collecting tubules become cystically dilated, in one kidney or in both. People with the condition are at increased risk of kidney stones and of urinary tract infection, and patients typically pass about twice as many stones each year as other stone formers who do not have it. Its overall morbidity is low, yet as many as one in ten patients carry a raised risk of complications from frequent stones and infections. Renal colic, meaning flank and back pain, is reported in 55 percent of patients, and women tend to have more stones, infections and complications than men. The source of chronic kidney pain, when no infection or blockage is present, remains unclear. The condition was once thought not to be hereditary, although newer evidence suggests otherwise. This entry is a reference record and not medical advice.