Urinary stone disease and obesity: Different pathologies sharing common biochemical mechanisms

The prevalence of urolithiasis is increasing in parallel with the escalating rate of obesity worldwide. It has previously been speculated that obesity is a potential risk factor for urinary stone disease. The possibility that common biochemical mechanisms underlie both obesity and urolithiasis is remarkable. Better understanding of possible common mechanisms of these diseases could potentially lead to a better management of urinary stone prevention. The prevention of urinary stone formation gives clinicians an acceptable reason to encourage lifestyle modification and weight loss through a regular diet. In this review, the association of obesity with urinary stone disease, possible common biochemical mechanisms, effects of dietary habits and weight loss on stone formation, as well as difficulties in surgical management of obese individuals with urolithiasis are discussed.