The exposome for kidney stones

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Nephrology
• Occupational Medicine

Background:

• The exposome encompasses all exposures from conception onwards, including environmental and occupational factors.
• Exposomics applies exposure assessment methods to understand health impacts.
• Kidney stone research has primarily focused on diet and fluid intake, with limited attention to other exposures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the application of exposomics to kidney stone research.
• To identify novel exposures beyond diet and fluid intake that may contribute to nephrolithiasis.
• To highlight the potential role of occupational factors in kidney stone development.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on exposomics and kidney stones.
• Discussion of novel exposure factors such as antibiotic use, urbanization, and occupation.
• Conceptual framework for an exposomic-oriented history in stone evaluation.

Main Results:

• Exposomics offers a broader perspective on kidney stone etiology.
• Factors like antibiotic use, urbanization, and specific occupations may increase stone risk.
• Occupational kidney stones represent a potentially overlooked and preventable health issue.

Conclusions:

• Integrating exposomic principles can advance kidney stone research.
• Occupational and environmental exposures warrant further investigation as contributors to kidney stones.
• A detailed occupational history is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of stone formation.