SAN DIEGO—Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is an independent risk factor for hypertension in patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to data presented at the American Urological Association 2013 annual meeting.
The data came from a study of 24,461 Taiwanese patients diagnosed with upper urinary tract stones and who did not have hypertension. The patients had a minimum follow-up of eight years. Among patients without CKD, patients who underwent SWL for kidney stones had a significant 13.4% increased risk of hypertension than those who did not, Hsiao-Jen Chung, MD, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and colleagues reported. SWL for ureteral stones was not associated with an increased risk of hypertension. Investigators observed no association between SWL and hypertension risk in patients with CKD.
