Association between plasma cadmium and renal stone prevalence in adults in rural areas of Guangxi, China: a case–control study

Background Kidney stones have become a worldwide public health problem. The purpose of this research is to study the relationship between plasma cadmium level and the prevalence of kidney stones in an adult population. Methods The data of this study were based on a current survey conducted from December 2018 to November 2019 in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, China. A total of 940 study subjects of the same sex and age (within 2 years of each other) according to 1:1 matching were selected for a case–control study. The diagnosis of kidney stones was based on the presence of strong light spots, patches, clusters, or bands within the renal sinus region, followed by an echo-free bundle of acoustic images. Plasma metal elements were determined by the metal plasma method. The relationship between plasma cadmium concentration and the prevalence of kidney stones was assessed using logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression. Results The crude ratio for kidney stones in the highest quartile of plasma cadmium was 1.164 (95% CI, 1.121 to 2.324) compared with the lowest quartile. A positive correlation was found between the two (P for trend = 0.039). After adjusting for potential confounders, the ratio of plasma cadmium to kidney stones in the highest quartile was 1.606 (95% CI, 1.100 to 2.344) compared with the lowest quartile, and the findings remained unchanged. Conclusion The odds of kidney stones in adults increased with increasing plasma cadmium exposure, and high plasma cadmium may be a risk factor for kidney stones.