Increasing Temperatures may Increase the Risk of Kidney Stones

As summer continues, rising temperatures can make people feel sweaty, dehydrated and just uncomfortable. However, a recent study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that increasingly high temperatures can increase the number of kidney stones seen in U.S. residents.

"We found that as daily temperatures rise, there is a rapid increase in the probability of patients presenting over the next 20 days with kidney stones," said study leader Gregory E. Tasian, M.D., M.Sc., M.S.C.E., a pediatric urologist and epidemiologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), in a news release. 

For the study, researchers examined medical data on over 60,000 adults and children who suffered from kidney stones. They specifically studied cases that occurred between 2005 and 2011 in five main cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, in relation to temperature recordings.

Findings showed that as the daily temperatures in the city rose past 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the risk for developing kidney stones increased in all cities except Los Angeles. Furthermore, the risk for many spiked after being in high temperatures for three days or more.

Researchers said they were unable to pinpoint why hotter temperatures could increase the risk. However, they believe that as people are more likely to be dehydrated on warmer days, this can lead to an increase in the concentration of calcium and minerals that contribute to the problem.

"These findings point to potential public health effects associated with global climate change," said Tasian in the press release. "However...although 11 percent of the U.S. population has had kidney stones, most people have not. It is likely that higher temperatures increase the risk of kidney stones in those people predisposed to stone formation."

However, some areas in lower temperature areas-including Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia-there was also an increased risk of kidney stones. However, researchers said that because more people will remain indoors, heated areas can increase overall body temperature as well as the health risk.