Ying Liu,1,* Li Wang,2,* Er-Hao Bao,1,* Jia-Hao Wang,1 Lin Yang,1 Lei Wang,1 Long Xia,1 Ben Wang,1 Ping-Yu Zhu1 

1Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Ping-Yu Zhu, Email zhupingyu@nsmc.edu.cn

Purpose: The prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is high, and there are many complications. Few studies have reported the relationship between OSA and kidney stones. The purpose of this study is to explore whether people at risk of OSA will increase the risk of kidney stones.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, and information was collected through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 2015 to 2018. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the link between obstructive sleep apnea and the presence of kidney stones. Additionally, to assess causality and reduce observational biases, five distinct two-sample Mendelian randomization techniques were applied.
Results: Following the adjustment for relevant confounders, findings indicated a statistically significant correlation between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and higher prevalence of kidney stones (OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.00– 1.66). Additionally, using the inverse-variance weighted approach in Mendelian randomization, results suggested a genetic predisposition to OSA might be causally linked to an elevated risk of developing kidney stones (OR: 1.00221, 95% CI 1.00056– 1.00387).
Conclusion: OSA promotes the formation of kidney stones, and the treatment and management of OSA can improve or mitigate the occurrence of kidney stones.

Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, kidney stones, national health and nutrition examination survey, Mendelian randomization