New Urology Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine (Understanding the relationship between health insurance and kidney stones: an examination of NHANES data)

2020 JUN 29 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Education Daily Report -- Investigators publish new report on Health and Medicine - Urology. According to news reporting from Hanover, New Hampshire, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “To investigate the relationship between socioeconomic factors, specifically insurance status, and kidney stones using a nationally representative cohort. A retrospective secondary data analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2007 to 2014 was performed.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, “Using univariate statistics and multiple logistic regressions, we examined the relationship between socioeconomic factors and kidney stone history. The weighted national prevalence of nephrolithiasis between ages 20 and 64 was 7.7% of a population of over 95.3 million. Fifty-three percent of the total population was female. The mean age was 42 years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 28.7. The prevalence of nephrolithiasis was higher among individuals who had state-assisted insurance compared to those with private insurance (10.3% versus 7.3%, p=0.005). On univariate regression analysis, having a college education was protective against stones compared to having less than a high-school degree (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.43-0.84; p=0.009). Income was also significantly associated with kidney stone prevalence. After adjusting for race, BMI, gender, water intake, income, and education level through multivariable analysis, having private insurance was associated with lower odds of developing nephrolithiasis compared to having state-assisted insurance (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.44-0.89; p=0.01). Individuals with state-assisted insurance were found to have significantly increased odds of a kidney stone compared to those with private insurance.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Urologists, primary care, and policy makers should recognize this disparity exists and target opportunities to elucidate mechanisms and provide intervention for this high-risk group.”

For more information on this research see: Understanding the relationship between health insurance and kidney stones: an examination of NHANES data. The Canadian Journal of Urology, 2020;27(3):10238-10243.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting K. Bachour, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Additional authors for this research include M.E. Rezaee, A.R. Swanton and V.M Pais.

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