Calcium SupplementsCalcium Supplements Strategy for Kidney Stones Prevention in Crohn's Patients

Hospitalization for kidney stones in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) population is common, particularly among Crohn's patients who had a small bowel resection. This patient population experiences a lifetime occurrence of kidney stone formation as high as 25% accompanied with a high rate of recurrence (the typical rate of stone formation is \~10% in the non IBD population). Giving oral calcium is used to bind oxalate in the intestine in an attempt to reduce the amount of oxalate that is absorbed into the body and to reduce urinary oxalate levels. However, there are no defined guidelines for the optimum dosing of calcium. This study's primary objective is to scientifically define an appropriate range of calcium supplementation that reduce the level of oxalate found in the urine of patients living with inflammatory bowel disease.