Climate change is a hot topic and even more so now that hot temps are being linked to increased kidney stone ailments.
A new research report from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia claims hot weather days are typically followed by an increase of kidney stone treatments and it's happening across the nation in cities with varying climates.
"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., MSc, MSCE, a pediatric urologist and epidemiologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, in a press release. Tasian is on the staff of the Hospital's Kidney Stone Center as well as the Hospital's Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness.
The study involved studying medical records of more than 60,000 patients, adults and children, who suffered kidney stones between 2005 and 2011 in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia and took weather data into account.
The research was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
As mean daily temperatures increased above 50 degrees F, the risk of kidney stone presentation, typically within three days of exposure to hot weather, increased in all cities except Los Angeles.
"These findings point to potential public health effects associated with global climate change," said Tasian. "However," he cautions, "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."
According to the release, increased temperatures contribute to dehydration, which leads to a higher concentration of calcium and other minerals in the urine that promote the growth of kidney stones.
The research also indicates that very low temperatures may also play a factor, specifically in Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia.
"As frigid weather keeps people indoors more, higher indoor temperatures, changes in diet and decreased physical activity may raise their risk of kidney stones," states the release.
Tasian said additional studies should explore how "generalizable" the current findings are.
"Kidney stone prevalence has already been on the rise over the last 30 years, and we can expect this trend to continue, both in greater numbers and over a broader geographic area, as daily temperatures increase," said Tasian. "With some experts predicting that extreme temperatures will become the norm in 30 years, children will bear the brunt of climate change."
