蜜芽传媒

Heatwaves are becoming more likely and more extreme because of human-induced climate change. Australia has just recorded its hottest day on record, and the EU's satellite system recently confirmed that the past seven years have been the hottest on record.

Scientists have known for a while that there is a link between higher temperatures and incidents of kidney stones. This is a very painful condition where hard deposits of minerals develop in urine, which then have to be passed through the urinary tract. Gregory Tasian, a pediatric urologist at the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania has just published a study on the condition. He says this is due to the fact that hotter conditions lead to dehydration as people don't drink enough fluids, whereby the urine becomes more concentrated with minerals, which go on to form kidney stones.

Photo: People walking in hot sun Credit: Getty Images