A history of kidney stones is linked with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women but not in men, claims a new study.
The study
Researchers looked at the link between kidney stones and risk of incident coronary heart disease in 242,105 participants from three cohorts without a history of CHD. All participants were asked whether they have a history of kidney stones and were followed up every two years. CHD, defined as a composite of non-fatal or fatal myocardial infarction (MI), fatal CHD, or coronary revascularization procedure was the primary outcome.
The findings
There were 19,678 patients with a history of kidney stones and a total of 19,678 incident cases of CHD after follow up. Women with a history of kidney stones had a 30% increased risk of CHD and a 26% increased risk of fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, compared with those without such as history. No significant risk of CHD was established for men with a history of kidney stones, compared with those who have not.
What this means for GPs
The researchers concluded: ‘Further research is needed to determine whether the association is sex-specific and to establish the pathophysiological basis of this association.’
