Global warming is likely to increase the proportion of population affected by kidney stones by expanding the higher-risk region known as the 'kidney-stone belt' into neighboring states, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Dallas have found. Dehydration is one of the risk factors linked to kidney-stone disease, and the paper suggests global warming will exacerbate this effect. The researchers predict that by 2050, higher temperatures will cause an additional 1.6 million cases. (source: utsouthwestern.edu)
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