After years of enduring pain from frequently passing kidney stones, Kathleen Ryan now enjoys a better quality of life thanks to cutting-edge imaging technology and a comprehensive treatment plan at Mayo Clinic's Kidney Stone Clinic.

Over the past five years, Kathleen Ryan has passed more than 200 kidney stones — deposits of minerals and salts that form inside the kidneys and can cause pain when they pass through the ureter to the bladder.

Kathleen diligently sought help for her condition. But despite a thick binder documenting each stone and the severe pain that accompanied it, the North Florida resident was unable to find a workable solution prior to coming to Mayo Clinic.

"I would bring in research about modifying my diet to my appointments, and the doctors would say, 'You're welcome to try that if you want,'" Kathleen says. "They told me I was prone to kidney stones and needed to drink more water. They wanted to put me on different medications. But when they explained that one of the side effects was kidney failure, I declined."

She was at a loss for what to do. Then Kathleen learned about Mayo's Kidney Stone Clinic. An appointment there set in motion changes that would alter the course of Kathleen's condition and provide her with much-needed relief.

Coping with discomfort and disruption

Throughout the years Kathleen had to endure them, the recurring kidney stones took a significant toll on her quality of life. When she worked as a sales manager for a hotel chain and traveled to give presentations, Kathleen often would have to excuse herself when she felt she was about to pass a stone.

"When the stones move around and drop from my kidney to the ureter, I feel terrible pain," she says. "And with the real big ones, I literally cry."

In another job, as director of business development for a food purveyor, Kathleen spent a lot of time traveling to visit clients. As she was driving, she would frequently have to stop to pass a stone.

Uncovering answers

Despite Kathleen's efforts to find effective treatment, the stones continued to form. Then while accompanying a family member to Mayo Clinic's Florida campus, Kathleen's mother saw a digital billboard with information about the Kidney Stone Clinic. She gave that information to Kathleen.

Kathleen decided to give Mayo Clinic a try. She called and made an appointment with nephrologist William Haley, M.D. Her first consult in summer 2016 gave her hope.

"He looked through the big binder I created to document all of my kidney stone incidents since 1997, and he said, 'Ms. Ryan, I'm going to help you get rid of them,'" Kathleen recalls.

"Our ultimate goal is to stop events by halting new stone formation and existing stone growth." — William Haley, M.D.

Dr. Haley and his colleagues in the Kidney Stone Clinic are familiar with cases like Kathleen's, and he was confident they knew what to do to help her.

"Some people have more of a tendency to produce stones than others," Dr. Haley says. "This, together with certain environmental influences, may yield chemistry conducive to crystal growth resulting in stone formation."

The Kidney Stone Clinic focuses on improving the patient's urine chemistry in cases such as Kathleen's by taking a comprehensive look at their kidney stone history, as well as their current situation.

"Our ultimate goal is to stop events by halting new stone formation and existing stone growth," Dr. Haley says.

Realizing relief

Blood tests, urine tests and imaging scans revealed that Kathleen was producing a type of kidney stone called calcium oxalate stones.

"We have the benefit of having cutting-edge imaging technology, which helps us determine what kidney stones are made of," Dr. Haley says. "We also utilize stone analysis through the Mayo Minerals Lab. Both are very helpful in creating a treatment plan."

"I can't say enough great things about Dr. Haley. He's taken one of my biggest health challenges and taken care of it. He's given me a quality of life that's much better." — Kathleen Ryan

To reduce the number of kidney stones Kathleen's body makes, Dr. Haley put her on a diet that strictly limited high-oxalate foods, such as spinach, dark chocolate and soy products. He also recommended she increase the amount of calcium in her diet in the form of low-fat dairy foods, reduce her intake of animal protein, and drink more water.

During the first 10 months Kathleen was on the diet, the difference was dramatic. She only passed four stones, compared to passing several stones daily or weekly before starting on the new diet. Kathleen says the change has improved her life considerably.

"I can't say enough great things about Dr. Haley. He's taken one of my biggest health challenges and taken care of it," Kathleen says. "He's given me a quality of life that's much better."

HELPFUL LINKS

• Learn more about kidney stones.
• Read about kidney stone care at Mayo Clinic.
• Check out the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
• Explore Mayo Clinic's Florida campus.
• Request an appointment.

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A Mayo Clinic team led by William Haley, M.D., and Andrew Rule, M.D., assessed a group of 384 stone formers three months after their first stone event to study the effect of kidney stones on their kidney function. Compared to the control group, kidney stone formers maintained higher levels of the blood marker cystatin C and higher levels of urine protein ― both of which are connected with higher risk of chronic kidney disease.

“Even after adjusting for other risk factors, including urine chemistries, hypertension and obesity, we still found that those with a kidney stone episode had subsequent abnormal kidney function,” says Dr. Rule. “This helps us better understand the long-term implications of kidney stones beyond recovery time.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Kelly Reller, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Kidney stones affect just over 7 percent of adults, and that number has been on the rise. Though previous studies have identified a long-term risk of chronic kidney disease in kidney stone formers, prior research has not assessed kidney function immediately after their first stone event.

The small, hard mineral deposits that characterize kidney stones can cause severe pain, nausea and difficulty passing urine. An increased risk of chronic kidney disease, however, could make the condition one that has a more long-term impact on an individual’s health.

“This research shows that the implications of kidney stones may go beyond the discomfort they are so often associated with,” says Dr. Rule. “Prevention of kidney stones may be beneficial for a person’s overall kidney health.”

In addition to Drs. Haley and Rule, other authors are:

• Felicity Enders, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
• Lisa Vaughan, M.S., Mayo Clinic
• Ramila Mehta, M.S., Mayo Clinic
• Maxton Thoman, B.S.
• Terri Vrtiska, M.D., Mayo Clinic
• Amy Krambeck, M.D.
• John Lieske, M.D., Mayo Clinic

The study was supported by the Mayo Clinic O'Brien Urology Research Center, Rochester Epidemiology Project, Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic Nephrology -Urology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and the National Institutes of Health.

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About Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Mayo Clinic Proceedings is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal that publishes original articles and reviews dealing with clinical and laboratory medicine, clinical research, basic science research, and clinical epidemiology. Mayo Clinic Proceedings is sponsored by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research as part of its commitment to physician education. It publishes submissions from authors worldwide. The journal has been published for more than 80 years and has a circulation of 130,000. Articles are available at mayoclinicproceedings.org.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to medical research and education, and providing expert, whole-person care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

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Here's the podcast: MayoClinicRadio 09-19-15 PODCAST

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Neuromuscular diseases ... including muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) ... are often debilitating and sometimes fatal. On this week's program, we'll have the latest on research and treatment of these diseases from neurologist Dr. Eric Sorenson. Also on the program, Dr. Keith Stewart, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, explains how personalized medicine is providing the right patient with the right drug at the right dose at the right time. And kidney specialist Dr. William Haley discusses a landmark study that showed a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular complications and death when systolic blood pressure is lowered to 120 mm Hg in people being treated for high blood pressure.

Myth or Matter-of-Fact: There is no cure for muscular dystrophy, but medications and therapy can help manage symptoms and slow the course of the disease.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeartRadio.

Click here to listen to the program at 9:05 a.m. CT Saturday, September 19, and follow #MayoClinicRadio.

To find and listen to archived shows, click here.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Myth or Matter-of-Fact: There is no cure for muscular dystrophy, but medications and therapy can help manage symptoms and slow the course of the disease.

Miss the show?  Here's the podcast: MayoClinicRadio 09-19-15 PODCAST

Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

To find and listen to archived shows, click here.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus was the nation’s second largest recruiting site, and largest in the Southeast, to participate in a landmark study that has found maintaining systolic blood pressure at a target of 120 greatly reduced the risk of cardiovascular complications and death in older adults with high blood pressure.

“It’s been widely assumed that if you’re older, it’s OK to have a higher blood pressure, and this study challenges that notion,” said William E. Haley, M.D., principal investigator for Mayo Clinic of the SPRINT study and a nephrologist at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus.

The National Institutes of Health today announced the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) found management of high blood pressure with a target of 120, rather than the commonly recommended 140, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease by nearly one third, and reduced risk of death by nearly 25 percent, in a group of adults 50 years and older with high blood pressure.

“This is truly a landmark trial because it deals with a common and deadly condition, and it includes patients over age 75,and those who have existing cardiovascular and kidney disease,” Dr. Haley said. “These groups have typically been excluded from most trials. This trial is going to inform treatment for those groups, which happen to be the same groups who have the most complications.”

Hypertension is the most common medical condition in United States, affecting one in three Americans, and about 1 billion people worldwide.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Haley are available in the downloads.

MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Landmark study finds more intensive treatment to lower blood pressure saves lives appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Kidney stones affect approximately 3.8 million people in the U.S. each year, the number of cases is on the rise and they are especially more common in the summer. The stones are described as small, hard deposits of mineral and acid salts that form when urine becomes concentrated. The minerals crystallize and stick together, forming a stone which can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball.

According to Mayo Clinic nephrologist William Haley, M.D., heat, humidity and lack of proper hydration all lead to a higher prevalence of kidney stones in the summer. “The main reason is due to the amount of water we take in and use. Our bodies are made up of mostly water and we use it regularly. But in the heat, we may not be drinking as much as we should, or taking in the right types of fluids, so we become dehydrated, which can lead to more stones.” Dr. Haley adds, "Kidney stones are really very common — up to 13 percent of men, and 6 to 7 percent of women, could get a kidney stone sometime in their life — starting in the twenties and peaking in the fifties." Once you get a kidney stone, you are at risk of getting one again.

Here are tips for avoiding and coping with kidney stones:

• Hydration is key. Drinking more water is essential.
• Diet is also very important to prevent stones. Oxalate-rich foods, such as nuts and certain vegetables, coupled with a diet that's high in protein, sodium and sugar, may increase calcium in the kidneys and subsequently raise the risk of kidney stones.
• Kidney stones may not cause problems until they move into the ureter tube that connects the kidney and bladder. When that occurs, a stone can bring immense pain as it passes through the urinary tract into the bladder. As well, many people can experience an array of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, blood in their urine or fever. If you experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.

Journalists: A video pkg. featuring a patient and separate sound bites with Dr. Haley are available in the downloads. To interview Dr. Haley contact Cindy Weiss, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Tune in this Saturday, August 9 at 9 a.m. CT, for the Mayo Clinic Radio show. We'll discuss further why kidney stones are more prevalent during the summer with nephrologist Ivan Porter, M.D., and urology surgeon Amy Krambeck, M.D..

The post Summer Stones — Kidney Stones in August appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.