Self-Reported Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea are Associated with Increased Risk of Kidney Stones: A Cross-Sectional Study from NHANES 2015-2020

Objective: To investigate whether self-reported symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), including snoring, snorting/stopping breathing, and sleepiness, are associated with increased risk of kidney stones.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted based on the 2015-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Self-reported symptoms of OSA and history of kidney stones were diagnosed via questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the associations between self-reported symptoms of OSA and kidney stones. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests were performed to address this issue further.

Results: A total of 9,973 participants were enrolled, and the prevalence of kidney stones was 10.76%. Although no significant association was observed between frequent snoring and kidney stones after covariate adjustments (OR 1.033, 95% CI 0.726, 1.469 p = 0.850), frequent snorting/stopping breathing was associated with a greater risk of kidney stones after covariate adjustments (OR 1.655, 95% CI 1.262, 2.172, p = 0.002). Participants who often or almost always felt sleepy also had a greater risk of kidney stones after covariate adjustment (OR 1.651, 95% CI 1.222, 2.229; p = 0.004). The interaction tests suggested that marital status (p = 0.015) and smoking status (p < 0.001) significantly interacted with the association between snorting/stopping breathing and kidney stones.

Conclusion: Self-reported frequent snorting/stopping breathing and sleepiness may be associated with increased risk of kidney stones. Although these findings may emphasize prevention of kidney stones in these people, further research was still needed to verify our results.