Understanding of the causes of kidney stones and what treatments could prevent kidney stones
Sarah Howles ran a hugely successful study that provided a better understanding of the causes of kidney stones and what treatments could potentially prevent stone formation.
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones are relatively common – affecting about 1 in 10 people in the UK. Kidney stones are more likely to develop in men than women and typically affect people aged 30-60. Children can develop kidney stones, including infants but kidney stones are much more common in children.
They are usually found in the kidneys or ureter and can be very painful leading in some cases to kidney infections or if left untreated, they may impact the kidneys working properly.
Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys that form when certain mineral levels become too concentrated in your urine. After a stone forms, it either stays in the kidney or travels down the urinary tract into the ureter. If the stone is relatively small, it typically moves out of the body via the urine without causing any symptoms. However, large unmoving stones may cause a back-up of urine in the urinary system. This is what causes the painful symptoms of kidney stones. Generally, the larger the stone, the more noticeable the symptoms.
Kidney stones are a huge problem in the UK
They're a really common problem....and they cause a lot of pain and distress to patients. We don't have good treatments to stop stones forming and part of the reason is that we don't have a good understanding of why people form stones.
Our role
The Urology Foundation provided funding to Sarah Howles from the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at University of Oxford for research into the causes and possible prevention of kidney stones. We provided funding via our Innovation and Research Fund.
My research aims to understand what the common causes of kidney stone disease are so that we can design better treatments to stop them coming back.
Research success
The research has been a huge success. It led to a better understanding of the causes of kidney stones, including the increased risk. It also identified possible treatments that could try to prevent stone formation.
This could have a significant impact on people who experience kidney stones and is a brilliant achievement.
Looking to the future
The team of researchers hope to be able to complete some more detailed laboratory experiments and once these are complete, they expect to apply to the NIHR for funding for a large clinical trial. They hope to be starting the clinical trial in the coming years.
Understanding the causes of kidney stones and how to prevent them
The Urology Foundation provided funding via our Innovation and Research Fund to Sarah Howles to undertake vital research into the causes and possible prevention of kidney stones
More details
Find out more about Sarah’s research and hear from Sarah in her own words talking about the success of her project and what this means for patients in the future.