Promoting Fluid Intake Does Not Reduce Recurrent Urinary Stone Events

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with a history of urinary stone disease, a behavioral intervention to promote fluid intake does not reduce recurrent stone events, according to a study published in the March 21 issue of The Lancet.Alana C. Desai, M.D., from Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues examined whether a multicomponent behavioral intervention program to promote high fluid intake reduces symptomatic stone recurrence. Participants aged 12 years and older with a history of urinary stone disease and low 24-hour urine volumes were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group, which received guideline-concordant care (826 and 832 patients, respectively).Overall, 66.6 percent of the participants were recurrent stone formers. The researchers found that symptomatic stone events occurred in 19 and 20 percent of patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively, at a median follow-up of 738 days. In both groups, 24-hour urine volume increased from baseline and was higher in the intervention group than the control group at six, 12, 18, and 24 months. At six and 12 months, the intervention group had greater urinary storage symptoms of frequency, urgency, and nocturia compared with the control group. From baseline to end-of-study imaging, no difference was seen in stone growth of at least 2 mm or new stones between the groups; no significant between-group difference was seen in the composite outcome of symptomatic stone recurrence, new stone formation, or stone growth of at least 2 mm."Rather than asking every patient to meet the same fluid goal, we should determine who benefits from which targets, understand why adherence breaks down, and build interventions -- behavioral and medical -- that reliably reduce stone recurrence," co-senior author Gregory E. Tasian, M.D., from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a statement.Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Promoting Fluid Intake Does Not Reduce Recurrent Urinary Stone Events

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