Posted on July 30, 2008 in Latest News
If you are thinking that global warming can cause natural disasters only,not health disorders in humans, then you are misled. Apart from causing infectious diseases, it may lead to more kidney stones. According to a study in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”, more Americans may develop kidney stones as global warming strikes the risk of dehydration.
‘Kidney Stones’ in Americans:
Predicted by scientists, warmer temperatures may lead to a 30 percent rise in kidney stone cases in some of the U.S regions. In the study published recently, researchers at the University of Texas said that would result in a $1 billion increase in annual treatment costs by 2050.
Dehydration: A Cause for Kidney Stones:
Dehydration is considerably related to the condition, which can develop when people don’t drink enough water to flush the stone-forming salts out from the body. According to the study, Southeast United States people are more prone to develop kidney stones than people of Northeast United States.
Kidney Stone Belt:
Rise in temperature may lead to more dehydration. It may expand the “kidney stone belt”, an area of the Southeast America, where men are twice likely to develop the disease compared with the Northeast America.
Kidney Stones – Rising Temperature:
In words of Tom Brikowski, lead author and associate professor of geosciences at the University of Texas, Dallas, “We can fairly assume that the prevalence of kidney stones increases with annual average temperatures.”
13 Degrees: the Dangerous Figure:
“Previous studies indicate that there is a major risk of kidney stones when mean average temperatures exceed 13 degrees Celsius,” said Margaret Pearle, a urologist from Dallas, who was involved in the study. She added, “prevalence of kidney stones due to the climate change needs further research”. “Drinking water is the best way to prevent the development of kidney stones,” she concluded.
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