Children and adults who take five of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics may have a higher chance of developing kidney stones than those who don't, new research suggests. Doctors say that this is why they should not be taken on their own.
The scientists found that taking any of five groups of antibiotics - sulfonamides, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, nitrofurantoin/methenamine and penicillin - in the previous three to 12 months was associated with an increased risk of kidney stones.
The increase in risk ranged from 27 percent higher odds with penicillin to more than twice the risk for kidney stones after taking sulfonamides, reports Net.hr.
"Without a doubt, antibiotics have saved millions of lives and are needed to prevent death and serious consequences of infections, and their benefits outweigh possible harms," said Dr. Gregory Theisen, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who led the study's research team.
He notes that, however, these results do not suggest that doctors should not prescribe these antibiotics when necessary.
Scientists have long known that antibiotics affect the balance of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in and on the human body. Changes in digestive and urinary flora have previously been linked to kidney stones in research, but so far none have shown a connection between antibiotic use and kidney stones, the scientists said.
Research has shown that children and teenagers have the greatest risk of getting kidney stones. The risk of kidney stones decreases with time, but remains elevated for up to several years after taking antibiotics.
Scientists studied the consumption of antibiotics according to the electronic health records of 25.981 people who got kidney stones, and in a control group of 259.797 similar patients who did not have any between 1994 and 2015.
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