Originally published on Cornerstone, the CHOP Research Blog.

I composed this original article based on a CHOP press release and an interview with the investigator.

Excerpt:

Who is at the most increased risk of kidney stones: Teen girls.

The highest rate of increase in kidney stones was among adolescent females, Dr. Tasian’s team found. In any given year, stones were more common among females than males age 10 to 24 years. After age 25, kidney stones became more common among men.

Between 1997 and 2012, the risk of kidney stones doubled during childhood for both boys and girls, while there was a 45 percent increase in the lifetime risk for women.

Among African-Americans, the incidence of kidney stones increased 15 percent more than in whites within each five-year period covered by the study.

Why it matters for children’s health: Pediatric providers may not be prepared to optimally test, identify, and treat youth with kidney stones.

“The emergence of kidney stones in children is particularly worrisome, because there is limited evidence on how to best treat children for this condition,” Dr. Tasian said. “The fact that stones were once rare and are now increasingly common could contribute to the inappropriate use of diagnostic tests such as CT scans for children with kidney stones, since healthcare providers historically have not been accustomed to evaluating and treating children with kidney stones.”

In addition, Dr. Tasian noted that the increased incidence among adolescent girls is concerning because kidney stones are associated with a higher risk of chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular and bone disease, particularly among young women.