Cystinuria

/ˌsɪstɪˈnʊriə/ noun

Definition

A genetic condition where high amounts of cystine are lost in urine, which can form painful crystals and kidney stones.

Etymology

From cystine + Greek '-uria' meaning condition of the urine; the suffix indicates that cystine is abnormally present in urine in large quantities.

Kelly Says

Cystinuria patients can pass cystine crystals in their urine, and remarkably, something as simple as drinking lots of water and maintaining a high urine pH can prevent the painful kidney stones that would otherwise form—one of medicine's earliest examples of preventing disease through chemistry.

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