Association between rheumatoid arthritis and kidney stones: A cross-sectional study of NHANES 2007–2020

Kidney stones (KS) and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are common diseases, but their association remains unclear. Our research aims to investigate a possible link between RA and KS. This study investigates the relationship between RA and KS prevalence and uses data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 to 2020. RA and KS diagnoses were self-reported via validated questionnaires. Weighted logistic regression was used to assess the independent associations between RA and KS (adjustments for age, sex, race, education level, PIR, marital status, smoke status, alcohol status, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, total energy intake, total water intake, Scr, BUN, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, serum uric acid). Moreover, we executed subgroup analyses and interaction assessments to ensure the robustness and reliability of these results. 19,904 participants (≥ 20 years) were included in the study, including 1,477 RA patients. The rate of KS (17.009% vs. 8.123%, p < 0.001) in the RA group was higher than that in the non-RA group. After correcting for all covariates, we found a positive association between RA and KS (OR = 1.770, 95% CI: 1.418–2.209). In addition, a strong correlation between RA and KS persisted across all stratified subgroup analyses. In adults in the United States, RA was significantly associated with higher KS prevalence. Nevertheless, the cross-sectional design restricts causal inference. In the future, additional research is required to confirm this association.