Kidney stone disease is characterized by racial and sex disparities, according to data presented at this year’s annual American Urological Association conference, the AUA2021 Virtual Experience.

Kidney Stone Patient Analysis

The study, led by Joseph Crivelli, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, identified kidney stone patients (also known as ‘stone-formers’) from 2010 to 2019 using five substantial data banks. Participants included:

• 30,966 patients from the University of Alabama at Birmingham 
• 45,604 from the University of Texas Southwestern 
• 21,796 from Parkland Memorial Hospital 
• 42,652 from Henry Ford Health System 
• 16,618 from UC Davis Health System 

Another 68,594 working-age adults with kidney stones were identified using a health insurance claims database. 

Study Results Yield Paths for Further Study and Solutions

The analysis revealed several patterns related to race, ethnicity, and sex.

• Overall, the majority of Black stone-formers were female. 
• Most White and non-Hispanic stone-formers were male. 
• In two out of the four cohorts, the majority of Hispanic stone-formers were female. 
• Black and White participants showed significantly different male-to-female ratios.
• There was no significant difference between Hispanic and non-Hispanic stone-formers. 
• The male-to-female gap appeared to diminish between 2010 and 2019 in all groups, but especially among White and non-Hispanic participants.

The researchers did not analyze male-to-female ratios among Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native patients for this particular study.

Closing the Health Disparity Gaps

“Further evaluation of these findings and their association with comorbidities and socioeconomic factors is needed to understand disparities in stone disease,” the study authors concluded, noting that health disparities linked to ethnicity, geography, race, and socioeconomic status are visible in many aspects of kidney stone disease. It is uncertain, at this point, what role the gender gaps play in the health disparities, nor why the gaps closed over time, significantly for White and non-Hispanic patients and less so for Black and Hispanic patients.

Incidence and prevalence of kidney stone disease are rising, Dr. Crivelli warned, making it “increasingly important to recognize obstacles to optimal health outcomes among stone formers and how to overcome them.” 

*Persaud, N.  (2021, Sep. 13).  Gender and Race Disparities Found in Kidney Stone Disease. Renal and Urology News. https://www.renalandurologynews.com/home/conference-highlights/aua-2021/kidney-stones-formers-race-ethnic-sex-differences/