Kidney Stones Harm Unexpected Demographic Situation

This is another apparent danger of modern life: more and more children are suffering from kidney stones. THE Washington Post dives into the unexpected trend. Although the data shared is somewhat dated (a 2016 study of South Carolina adolescents aged 15 to 19 between 1997 and 2012 found a 23% increase in the incidence of kidney stones among boys and 28% among girls), the anecdotes are numerous. A pediatric urologist at Texas Children’s Hospital says he sees “kids with kidney stones” every day. Gregory Tasian, a pediatric urologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, describes the change over the past 30 years as “dramatic.”

The hard deposits of minerals and salts that can end up in the urinary tract have always been considered a problem suffered by middle-aged white men. There are a number of theories about what causes this change: genetics, ultra-processed foods, high sodium intakes, and dehydration. “There is so much added salt in the American diet today, and when the kidney excretes sodium, it takes calcium with it and increases the risk of calcium-based stones,” says John Wiener, a pediatric urologist at Duke Health. THE Job notes that all but 10 percent of children ages 6 to 18 consume nearly 150 percent of the recommended amount of sodium daily.

Another emerging theory: something related to climate change may be at play. David Sas, a pediatric nephrologist at the Mayo Clinic, says his research indicates a link between kidney stones and “urban heat islands,” c that is, densely populated areas of cities that have little greenery and therefore experience higher temperatures. A 2023 NBC News article on this change supports the idea that heat could play a role, noting that doctors the outlet spoke with said cases among children are higher in the summer, when temperatures Children tend to sweat more and urinate less. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 1 in 10 Americans will experience a kidney stone in their lifetime. (More kidney stone stories.)