Urologists Explore Kidney Stone Information on Social Media and Alkaline Water for Uric Acid Stone Patients

CHICAGO, April 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Is kidney stone information on TikTok reliable? Is alkaline water better than tap water for uric acid stone patients? Do videos on social media align with AUA recommendations?

Researchers will be presenting these kidney stone study findings at the 118^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association. Brian Inouye, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery/Urology at Albany Medical Center, will moderate a virtual press session featuring the following two abstracts.

Paul Piedras, from University of California, Irvine, analyzed five commercially available alkaline water products to assess their electrolyte and organic anion composition. "Alkaline Water: Help or Hype for Uric Acid Stone Patients?"

Bassel Salka, from University of Michigan, evaluated the reach and quality of kidney stone prevention information on TikTok. "TikTok as an Education Tool for Kidney Stone Prevention."

"The incidence of kidney stones in the United States is increasing, and patients who have a stone for the first time have a high likelihood of forming another one. While the American Urological Association has guidelines to manage the prevention of stone formation, social media presents a platform for additional recommendations that may not be beneficial," said Dr. Inouye. "By highlighting the lack of evidence of popular social media content, we will find a need to continue to popularize our guidelines with the public to prevent recurrent stone formation and its impact on patients and healthcare."

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Presenting authors and moderators are available to discuss their findings. To arrange an interview with an expert, please contact the AUA Communications Team at [email protected].

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 24,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

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SOURCE American Urological Association

SOURCE American Urological Association