Urges to Drink Predict Urine Output Volume in Patients With Kidney Stones.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the hypotheses that 24-hour urine output volume would be associated with (a) cognitive evaluations of unflavored water and (b) urges to drink.

METHODS

Patients (N = 380, 60% female) with a history of kidney stones completed a baseline questionnaire and a 24-hour urine collection.

RESULTS

Non-thirst-related urges to drink unflavored water were positively associated with daily urine volume (b = 0.15, P <.01), but non-thirst-related urges to drink flavored drinks were not associated with daily urine volume. Cognitive evaluations of unflavored water were not associated with daily urine volume.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the importance of affective over cognitive processes for motivating non-thirst-related fluid intake. Non-thirst-related urges to drink unflavored water are a potential target for promoting urine output in patients at risk for kidney stone recurrence and may be potentially used to identify those patients at higher risk in absence of a 24-hour urine volume.