Kidney Stones - Highlights

Highlights

Diabetes and Kidney Stones

• New research has linked diabetes to the risk of kidney stones. Scientists reporting in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that people with type 2 diabetes have highly acidic urine that can lead to kidney stones, particularly uric acid stones.
• Shock-wave treatment (lithotripsy) for kidney stones may increase one's risk of diabetes later in life. A 2006 study published in the journal Urology found that 17% of patients who received shock-wave lithotripsy eventually developed diabetes. The risk of diabetes was proportionate to the number and intensity of shocks.

High Blood Pressure and Kidney Stones

The same study that linked an increased diabetes risk to shock-wave lithotripsy found that the treatment also increased one's risk of high blood pressure. In the study, the patients who received shock-wave lithotripsy were 47% more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who had their stones treated without lithotripsy.

Tips for Kidney Stone Prevention

• If you have had more than one stone or have a family history of stones, you are likely to develop more stones.
• Drink plenty of water each day. Water washes away the substances that can form stones. There are many controversies surrounding diet and kidney stones, but all experts agree that fluids are key to prevention. Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day is the best way to keep new stones from forming.
• Limit coffee, tea, and sodas with caffeine. Caffeine may cause dehydration.
• Avoid or limit red meat if you are at risk for uric acid stones. Red meat breaks down to form uric acid.
• If you are at risk for calcium oxalate stones, your health care provider may tell you to cut back on oxalate-rich foods such as beets, chocolate, spinach, strawberries, coffee, cola, and tea.

Review Date: 05/22/2006
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital