Question

Why are men more prone to having kidney stones than women? How can an individual lower the risk of developing kidney stones? How can you as the medical assistant support the individual experiencing kidney stones?

Answer 1

I do not know that there has been any reason discovered for why men are more prone to have kidney stones than females.  Some have suggested that diet may have something to do with this.  A high protein and high salt diet make kidney stones more likely.  Men tend to have a greater intake of both protein and salt.  As women started following diets such as the South Beach diet or Adkins diet, the incidence of kidney stones has been increasing in women over the past 20 years.  Obviously, there could be some contribution to female and male hormones, but this has never been proven.