Kidney Stones on the Rise Among Younger Americans

A sudden, intense pain in the back, along with nausea and severe vomiting, can leave some patients feeling completely incapacitated.

Each year, approximately 600,000 people in the United States experience this when they develop kidney stones—small, pebble-like mineral clumps that form within the urinary system. Doctors are concerned that the problem is growing worse.

Once thought to primarily affect older adults, kidney stones are now increasingly common among individuals in their 20s and 30s.

“In the past, we would see patients presenting for the first time around middle age,” noted Dr. Ryan Steinberg, a urologist from the University of Iowa Health Care. “But now, there’s a noticeable rise in cases among younger patients.”

This rise is marked. Roughly 11% of men and 9% of women now develop kidney stones, a significant increase from just 4% observed in the late 1970s. This condition results in over 500,000 emergency room visits annually.

Experts attribute this change to modern dietary patterns. Processed foods high in salt lead to increased calcium in the urine, promoting stone formation, while decreased consumption of fruits and vegetables—known for preventing such clumping—plays a role as well.

Furthermore, sugary beverages, often replacing water, concentrate urine and facilitate the hardening of minerals into stones.

“Various factors have fueled the increase in kidney stones, especially among those aged 12 to 30,” explained Dr. George Ellis, a urologic surgeon based in New York. “Kids today are eating fewer fruits and vegetables rich in citrate that help prevent stones, and family history is also a major contributing factor.”

For those dealing with kidney stones, the pain can be agonizing. A Reddit user described an episode, saying, “I couldn’t really move. I literally fell forward off the toilet because of the pain. I couldn’t stand or stop shaking; I was pale as a ghost.”

Another user recounted, “The pain made it hard to walk. By the time I reached the hospital, the agony was unbearable, mixed with dizziness and vomiting.”

A TikTok user named Darby Lou described her experience as a “month of hell” while passing a kidney stone. Bill, from South Carolina, felt his first sharp pain while on the beach—initially thinking he might feel better by going home. But, as he noted, “The pain just got worse.” Attempting various positions provided no relief, and ultimately, he found that walking helped a bit. Within an hour, he was on his way to the hospital.

The reason kidney stones result in such severe discomfort involves what happens inside the body. Kidneys filter waste from the blood, producing urine. Yet, when certain minerals become overly concentrated, they can crystallize. Normally, these crystals are eliminated unnoticed, but dehydration can lead them to stick together and form jagged stones.

Problems arise when a stone moves into the ureter, causing pressure to build as it scrapes against the lining or blocks it entirely. This generates the hallmark symptom: a wave-like pain radiating from the lower back to the groin, often bringing on sweating and pacing in search of relief.

Some may notice blood in their urine or feel a persistent urge to urinate with little output. Others, like Bill, might experience nausea severe enough to cause vomiting. Doctors discovered that Bill had a stone stuck in his ureter, blocking urine flow. They believed it could possibly pass naturally without the need for surgery.

This resulted in a drawn-out three-and-a-half-week period of pain for Bill before the stone finally passed just hours before a scheduled surgery.

Diet undeniably plays a crucial role in the formation of these stones, and Bill reflects on his habits as potential culprits. He mentioned consuming little water, opting instead for large amounts of tea and snacking on foods high in oxalate—like almonds and cashews, which contribute to the common calcium oxalate stones.

Dr. Howard LeWine, an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, remarked that a high-sodium diet could also trigger stones by increasing calcium levels in urine. He advised those susceptible to stones to consider a low-sodium diet.

“Foods rich in oxalate, such as beets and spinach, should be limited for those who form calcium oxalate stones,” he added.

Sugary drinks exacerbate the situation by replacing water, further concentrating urine. Combined with rising obesity levels and sedentary lifestyles—both impacting urine chemistry—conditions become ideal for stones to form.

Current research shows that individuals with higher body mass indices are more prone to develop kidney stones. In one study involving over 84,000 post-menopausal women, those with higher BMIs faced a 30% greater risk compared to those in a healthy range.

On the flip side, physical activity reduces the risk; the same research indicated that even minimal exercise lowered the risk by 16%, with significant activity reducing it by almost one-third.

Despite the intense pain associated with kidney stones, they can often be prevented. The simplest strategy? Drink more water. Keeping urine diluted helps prevent minerals from reaching harmful concentrations.

Diet also matters. Experts recommend reducing salt intake to ideally no more than 2,300 mg daily, while enhancing fruit and vegetable consumption, especially those rich in potassium and citrate.

Recent dietary and lifestyle changes—like increased ultra-processed food consumption and less physical activity— mirror the rise in kidney stones, but these trends can be reversed.

Bill described the pain he endured as “excruciating” and wishes it on no one. Fortunately, he hasn’t had another episode since. He reported, “It took about four weeks to return to normal.” Now, he insists on drinking as much water as possible instead of tea.

Dr. Ellis emphasizes a straightforward approach for those worried about stones: Keep urine light yellow or clear, reduce processed food intake to lower salt levels, and load up on potassium and citrate-rich fruits and vegetables while ensuring that calcium intake is balanced properly.