A new study has claimed that there is likely going to be an increase in cases of kidney stones over the next seven decades because of rising temperatures occasioned by climate change.
According to the study which was conducted by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and published in the journal, Scientific Reports, the increase in cases of kidney stones will be steeper if no action is taken.
This was based on data from South Carolina.
The study found that even with mitigation actions, there will be a rise in the incidence of kidney stones and this is estimated to cost the state healthcare system approximately $57 million in the latter scenario, and $99million if nothing is done.
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In a statement, the senior author of the study, Gregory E Tasian said the analysis suggests that a warming planet will likely cause an increased burden of kidney stone disease on healthcare systems.
He explained that hard deposits of minerals that develop in concentrated urine and cause pain when passing through the urinary tract lead to kidney stone disease, which is a painful condition.
“In the last 20 years, the incidence of kidney stone disease has increased, particularly among women and adolescents,”he said, adding that high ambient temperatures increase the risk of developing kidney stone disease, as demonstrated by previous research.
