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KIDNEY STONES on the RISE
By Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
In the past, medical textbooks described the typical person unlucky enough to develop a kidney stone as a white, middle-aged, obese man who eats an unhealthy diet and doesn’t drink enough fluids. Those books may need an update. A new study has found not only that the incidence of kidney stones is going up, but that they are also developing in people not considered high-risk in the past, including children, women, and African Americans.
Why stones?
Kidney stones develop when certain chemicals in the urine, such as calcium or uric acid, form crystals. Risk factors for stone formation include
- diet, including high intake of animal protein, sodium, and sugar, as well as low intake of fluids
- certain conditions, such as gout, diabetes, and obesity
- some medications, including calcium supplements
- family history and genetics — kidney stones can run in families, although the specific contributions of shared genes versus shared environments and diets are uncertain.
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