Kidney stones linked to higher heart risk

Bad news for North Indian who live in a stone belt as two large prospective cohort studies have shown that women (not men) with a history of kidney stones have a modestly increased risk of coronary heart disease. The magnitude of the increase ranged between 20% and 50% in the two studies. Similar increases emerged from separate analyses of fatal and nonfatal heart attacks and revascularization. The findings are reported by Dr Pietro Manuel Ferraro, of Columbus-Gemelli Hospital in Rome, and colleagues online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings suggest that women with a history of nephrolithiasis might warrant more scrutiny for signs of heart blockages.

A previous study has indicated that light exercise can lower the risk of kidney stones in women.

Several other studies have identified associations between nephrolithiasis and systemic diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.

In the present study the investigators analyzed data from three large, prospective cohort studies including 45,748 men, ages 40 to 75, and 196,357 women, ages 30 to 55, all without heart blockages at baseline. The studies' data encompassed follow-up of 18 years in women and 24 years in men.