Bhaskar Somani, consultant urological surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, who has warned that a surge in cases of kidney stones is due to poor diets and lifestyles A “malicious combination” of lack of exercise, high blood pressure, obesity and poor hydration is fuelling a large rise in cases of kidney stones, a leading surgeon has said. Admissions for renal stone treatment in England have increased by 20% over the past seven years to more than 90,000 cases, Bhaskar Somani said.