Bariatric Surgery Ups Kidney Stone Rates

Bariatric surgery is associated with an increased rate of kidney stones, researchers found.

John C. Lieske, MD, and colleagues at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., studied 762 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents who underwent bariatric surgery. Of these, 78% had standard Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. The surgery patients were matched with equally obese control individuals who did not undergo surgery. Both cohorts had a mean preoperative body mass index was 46.7 kg/m².

Kidney stone rates were similar at baseline for the 2 groups, but during 6 years of follow-up, new stone formation increased significantly in the surgery patients (11%) versus controls (4.3%), according to findings published online ahead of print in Kidney International. 

From the December 01, 2014 Issue of Renal and Urology News