Patterns of weight change during adulthood and incidence of nephrolithiasis: a population-based study

There is some evidence to suggest that there may be a link between body mass index (BMI) and the development of kidney stones, it remains unclear whether weight change was associated with the presence of kidney stone.

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential association between changes patterns in weight during adulthood and the incidence of kidney stone.

This study included 14472 participants aged 30-75 years, whose BMI was recorded at both baseline and 10 years prior to the survey. We categorized individuals into five weight change patterns: stable healthy, non-obesity to obesity, obesity to non-obesity, stable obesity, and maximum overweight. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) relating weight change to incident kidney stone were calculated using logistic regression models adjusting for covariates. The non-linear association between absolute weight change was investigated using the restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression. The supposed population attributable fraction (PAF) for the weight change patterns was calculated.

After adjusting for all confounders, participants changing from non-obesity to obesity, obesity to non-obesity, and stable obesity had significantly higher risks of kidney stone than those with healthy weight during adulthood (OR = 1.59, 95% CI:1.18-2.13; OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.47-2.16; OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.48-2.19, respectively). A U-shaped association was observed, and the risk of kidney stone was lowest in participants with stable healthy BMI. If the population had maintained a healthy BMI, a 28.7% (95% CI: 18.6%-37.5%) lower incidence of kidney stones was observed.

This study found that changes in weight during adulthood are linked to the risk of developing kidney stones. Maintaining healthy weight during adulthood is important for reducing the risk of developing kidney stones.