7 September 2011

A rise in bad habits such as smoking and drinking is behind the dramatic increase in the number of women getting kidney stones according to a leading expert from Barts Hospital.

As the European Section of Urolithiasis (EULIS) Stone Conference begins today at Barts, Urology Consultant Mr Noor Buchholz said the number of women undergoing kidney stone surgery at Barts Hospital had doubled compared to five years ago.

He said: “Five years ago, we treated 400 women a year for kidney stones – in the last year that figure increased dramatically to 800.

“We’ve had to expand our services to cope with the number of people requiring treatment and it doesn’t show any sign of slowing down.

“New research and technology means we have been able to develop better surgery for patients that eliminates the stones more quickly and reduces patients’ recovery time.”

Barts and the London NHS Trust is one of the few trusts able to treat kidney stone patients without delay using a special, fast-working treatment called lithotripsy that uses shock waves to break up stones.

Kidney stones can be caused by a number of factors including a diet of too much meat and salt, having a sedentary lifestyle and smoking and drinking excessively.

Mr Buchholz added: “There is no doubt in my mind that the increase in poor lifestyle choices including smoking and drinking among women is the key reason we are treating so many more of them.”

Forty years ago, men used to be three times more likely to require kidney stone treatment than women[1].

But since then, there has been a seven-fold increase in the number of women undergoing treatment[1] – a fact which many experts attribute to the rise, which began in the seventies, in women picking up the same bad habits as men including smoking and drinking.

Mr Buchholz said: “One in eight people in this country will develop kidney stones at some point. Traditionally they were seen as a man’s disease, but that is no longer the case with women fast catching up with men.”

                                                                         ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The European Urolithiasis Section of the EAU conference will be held at Barts Hospital until 10 September 2011.

• More than 400 delegates from over 55 countries will meet at the EAU conference to discuss the increase as well as the best ways to prevent and treat stones.

• Kidney stones are largely preventable and the following steps will help women reduce their risk:

• Drink plenty of water.

• Eat a varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables to aid digestion. Foods rich in magnesium and potassium such as spinach and bananas are ideal.

• Drink alcohol in moderation – women should not drink more than three units per day.

• Exercise daily.

• Quit the cigarettes. Smoking can cause a build of toxins in kidneys which may contribute to stone formation.

 [1]Kidney International (2006) http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v69/n4/full/5000150a.html

"Bringing together scientists and surgeons” – EULIS Meeting Chairman Mr Noor Buchholz