New Study Links Kidney Stones to Heart Disease Risk | Screen for …

screenforlife – August 14, 2013

new study links kidney stones to heart diseaseAmong women with kidney stones, a recent study indicates there may be an increased risk of heart disease. No such increased risk was associated between men and kidney stones.

A possible explanation for these results could lie in the fact that other cardiovascular risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure, are seen more often among individuals with kidney stones.

The study collected data from more than 46,000 men and 200,000 women. Of those participants, about 20,000 reported a history of kidney stones. The study followed the men for 24 years and the women for 18 years, and during those time periods, approximately 17,000 participants developed heart disease.

Data analysis revealed that the women with a history of kidney stones were about 30 percent more likely to develop heart problems, including heart disease, heart attack or blocked arteries in the heart. The connection between developing heart disease and kidney stones was irrelevant among the male participants.

“A possible explanation for the observed differences might be related to potential hormonal differences between men and women,” said lead researcher, Manuel Ferraro, a nephrologist at Columbus-Gemelli Hospital in Rome, in a HealthDay article. “Also, known differences in calcium metabolism between men and women might partly explain our findings.”

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, approximately 16 percent of Australian females have some type of cardiovascular disease. Men are close behind, with 15 percent having a cardiovascular disease. The numbers increase with age, as individuals over age 65 make up the majority of cardiovascular disease sufferers in Australia.

Screen For Life provides preventive health screenings that can identify risk of heart disease. These include screenings for high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, carotid artery blockage and heart disease risk assessment. By detecting your level of risk for heart problems, you can be better suited to make healthy lifestyle changes to decrease any controllable risk factors you may have.

Learn more about heart disease screenings today.

 

 





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