About kidney stones
Kidney stones are on the rise, with an estimated 15% risk for men and 8% for women to experience an episode in their lifetime. Furthermore, there is a high recurrence rate of 50% within the first 5 years after the initial episode.1
Lithiasis is a pathology known since the dawn of humanity, when, due to displacement and migration, society had incomplete diets and low fluid intake, which caused this disease to have a high prevalence even then. In fact, urinary calculi have been found in human remains from the Neolithic period and uric acid calculi in various pre-Columbian burials in South America. Struvite calculi have also been found in the urinary bladders of Egyptian mummies from 4800 BC.2
How does climate affect kidney stone formation?
Several factors can affect the development of kidney stones, including urinary factors such as urine pH level, dietary factors such as low fluid intake, anatomical or medical factors such as obesity, pharmacological factors, and climatic factors, which are what we will address in this article.
Various studies published in the United States have concluded that populations in hot and humid climates have a higher risk of lithiasis, or in other words, of forming kidney stones. This happens because the hotter it is, the more we sweat and therefore the higher the risk of dehydration. However, going a bit deeper, if it's hot and also humid, our body cannot evaporate heat as quickly, which means it generates even more sweat to regulate our body temperature.3,4
Now that we know how climate affects kidney stone formation, remember to stay well hydrated always, but with special emphasis if you live in hot and humid areas, especially during the summer months.
References:
1.Ref: "María Raquel Arias Vega et al. Prevalence of urolithiasis in the Spanish population ˜ 40 to 65 years old: Study
PreLiRenE. Med Clin (Barc). 2016!important;146(12):525–531."
2.http://aguas.igme.es/igme/publica/pdfart3/aranguez.PDF
BIOCHEMICAL STUDY OF LITHIASIS PATHOLOGY AND ITS PREVENTION THROUGH THE USE OF MINERAL-MEDICINAL WATERS Mª Isabel ARÁNGUEZ ALONSO Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Faculty of Pharmacy. UCM. Sergio AVILA PADILLA Clinical Biochemistry Service, Ramón y Cajal Hospital. Madrid.
3.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/end.2017.0456
Journal of EndourologyVol. 31, No. 11 General Research
Redefining the Stone Belt: Precipitation Is Associated with Increased Risk of Urinary Stone Disease
Kai B. Dallas, Simon Conti, Joseph C. Liao, Mario Sofer, Alan C. Pao, John T. Leppert, and Christopher S. Elliott
4.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7996811
Kidney Int. 1994 Sep!important;46(3):893-9.
Demographic and geographic variability of kidney stones in the United States.
Soucie JM1, Thun MJ, Coates RJ, McClellan W, Austin H.
