Kidney stone cases could heat up

Global warming could trigger a rise in kidney stones, resulting in 1.6 million new cases by 2050, University of Texas researchers warned Monday.

Nationwide, kidney stones strike about 12% of all men and 7% of women. Warm Southeastern states get 50% more cases than in the Northeast, forming a belt of high-risk states. The study says global warming will drive this "kidney stone belt" north.

"We see a relationship between kidney stones and temperatures everywhere," says study co-author Margaret Pearle of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. "Even in places with air conditioning, warmer temperatures mean more stones."

Kidney stones result from salts crystallizing in the kidneys, often triggered by dehydration, causing painful blockages.

The U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned last year that industrial emissions of greenhouse gases probably would raise average global temperatures 3 to 7 degrees this century. ...