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Updated: Sep 7, 2025

Estimation of Urinary Nanocrystals in Humans using Calcium Fluorophore Labeling and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis
Published on: February 9, 2021
Sex Differences and the Risk of Kidney Stones
Pietro Manuel Ferraro1, Tamara da Silva Cunha2, Gary C Curhan3
1U.O.S. Terapia Conservativa della Malattia Renale Cronica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Dipartimento Universitario di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
A significant increase in the prevalence of kidney stones has been observed worldwide. In the past decades, this expansion was more pronounced among women than men. The precise mechanisms involved in the differences in the risk profile of stone disease between men and women have not been fully elucidated. Diet and lifestyle only partially can explain the differences, and the combination of factors such as the influence of sex hormones, genetics, and disorders in acid-base handling and urine pH, as well as differences in calcium tubular reabsorption and stone composition in men and women, may contribute to differences in the risk profile. In this review, we summarize the sex differences in the pathophysiologic basis of kidney stones, which may contribute to a more focused approach.
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