New research suggests that those who have an issue with recurring kidney stones may also have high levels of calcium deposits in their blood vessels, causing an increased risk for heart disease.
It’s becoming more evident that kidney stones can often act like raised blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes in being a warning sign for cardiovascular disease.
Using CT scans, researchers looked at calcium deposits in the abdominal aorta. Almost half of the people in the study suffered from recurring kidney stones that were comprised of calcium.
Those with calcium-dense kidney stones were also found to have higher calcium deposits in their abdominal aortas. They also had less dense bones than those without kidney stones, which suggests a link between osteoporosis and atherosclerosis, or the hardening of arteries.
While many people who have a kidney stones episode don’t have a subsequent incident, it is worth talking about it with your doctor, especially to learn if the condition is linked to cardiovascular disease.
