SHIFT WORKERS FACE HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING KIDNEY STONES

A study evaluating how various shift work patterns contribute to kidney stone risk has revealed that shift workers have a 15% higher risk of developing kidney stones, especially younger workers and those with low levels of manual labor. Body mass index (BMI), fluid intake, and other lifestyle factors play key roles contributing to the occurrence of kidney stones. The findings of the novel study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, published by Elsevier, indicate that kidney stone prevention efforts should extend to shift workers.

Long-term shift work, identified as an irregular work schedule outside conventional daytime work hours, especially night shift work, could disrupt workers' circadian rhythms, affect metabolism and hormone secretion, alter lifestyles, and lead to adverse health outcomes. The probability of developing chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and mental disorders, has been reported to be increased among shift workers. However, kidney stone disease among shift workers has rarely been investigated in prior studies.

Using data from over 220,000 participants from the UK Biobank Study, the researchers of the current study analyzed the association of shift work, including its type, frequency, and duration, with kidney stone events over a median follow-up period of 13.7 years. They also conducted mediation analyses to investigate whether various lifestyle behaviors could explain this relationship.

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2025-10-03T02:48:20Z