Lithotripsy not linked to hypertension or diabetes

The use of shock waves to break up kidney stones does not seem to lead to the development of high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus (DM). By focusing shock waves on the kidneys, stones can be shattered into small particles, which are then flushed out with the normal flow of urine. However, there have been concerns that the procedure, called shock wave lithotripsy or SWL, could damage the kidneys and lead to hypertension or high blood pressure (BP). Researchers from Japan studied 772 patients with kidney stones who underwent shock wave lithotripsy, comparing them with 505 patients with stones in the ureters, the tubes leading from the kidneys; they were also treated with shock wave lithotripsy, but were unlikely to have sustained kidney damage from the procedure. Follow-up 10 years after treatment showed that hypertension developed in 20 percent of men and 23 percent of women in both groups. The rates of new onset of DM in the renal stone and ureteral stone groups were 7.4% and 11% in men and 8.7% and 8.7% in women, respectively. There was no significant difference in the new onsets of high BP and DM between renal and ureteral stone groups depending on each age decade or sex. Despite these reassuring findings that SWL is a safe treatment, the researchers concluded that efforts towards minimising damage and identification of optimal patients for SWL are required.