You may hear a lot about diabetes and obesity as major health issues in Alabama. But, another are kidney stones. USA Health University Hospital in Mobile just opened a new clinic that deals with this painful medical condition. The Kidney Stone Center promises faster diagnoses and less invasive treatment as well as advice on avoiding kidney stones. Doctor Christopher Keel says there are several factors that make this ailment more common in the south…
“We think that there's, there's several different things that play into that. Number one, it's probably some of our genetics. Number two, it's our diet. I mean, everybody loves other food, so a high fat diet, diabetes also plays into that. And if you notice that we're the heaviest in the most diabetic states in the country.”
The Alabama Department of Public Health quotes data from The World Health Organization on how the United States has the greatest incidence of overweight persons and obesity in the world. The prevalence of obesity has increased steadily and is at epidemic levels. Results from the 2021-2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 40.3 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. 2023 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Alabama's rate of adult obesity is almost forty percent, which places the state in the fifth highest position in the nation. Doctor Keel at USA University Health Hospital says, along with obesity, there’s one reason that kidney stones show up in the south more and more..
“Probably as much of a part as anything. It's dehydration. We don't drink enough water," said Keel. "We are in an area of the country that we sweat quite a bit, so we probably lose, we have insensible losses of water more than other states, too.”
APR News included rural health in the newly redrawn Congressional District two in our nine month investigation into issues associated with the new minority majority seat in the U.S House, which was just won by Democrat Shomari Figures. You can listen again, by clicking below…
