Elevated blood pressure and positive history of kidney stones: results from a population-based study

Abstract

Mild hypercalciuria has been observed in hypertension, but it is not yet established whether the prevalence of urinary stone disease is increased as well. Data from the cross-sectional phase of the Gubbio Study--a population-based survey on hypertension involving 5376 subjects (84% response rate)--have been analysed to address this issue, defining as hypertensive those subjects with diastolic pressure falling within the fifth quintile for each sex- and age-specific category, and/or under regular antihypertensive treatment. The prevalence of a positive history for urinary stone (radiographic and/or surgical evidence, and/or stone excretion) was increased by over 50% (P less than 0.01) in treated and untreated hypertensives. None of the 136 subjects with a positive urinary stone history were hypercalcaemic and none had renal failure.