Age-dependent convergence of kidney stone incidence rates between male and female populations

Kidney stone disease has historically shown higher incidence in men than women, but emerging evidence suggests this gap narrows with age. Using the UK Biobank, we analyzed 494,745 stone-free participants from 2010 to 2022. During follow-up, 5,614 incident cases were identified, with men consistently at higher risk. However, the male-to-female relative risk declined significantly with advancing age, decreasing 0.86%-1.34% per year (Y = 3.49–0.02x). This trend was evident in both single-year and 5-year stratifications, while no significant temporal change was observed across calendar years. Our findings indicate a progressive convergence in stone risk between sexes, underscoring the importance of incorporating age- and sex-specific considerations into prevention and management strategies for kidney stone disease.