Epidemiology of Urinary Lithiasis in a Population of Western Morocco: Retrospective Study of 100 Patients

Abstract

Urinary lithiasis is a common condition, 5-9% in Europe, 12% in Canada and 15% in the United States of America (USA). Few studies exist on urinary lithiasis disease in other developing countries, factors of clinical and morphological variations of patients with urinary lithiasis. The aim of this work was to report the epidemiological aspects and to describe the clinical and imaging characteristics of urinary lithiasis in urological settings. This is a retrospective descriptive study of a cohort of 100 patients. Data were collected from the patients' medical records, consultation and hospitalization registers. The mean age of our patients was 48 years, with extremes ranging from 22 to 81 years. Our series is characterized by a slight female predominance with 54% of the cases and men (46% of the cases) graph 1. 29.6% of the women represented in our study have an age ranging from 50 to 59 years while 32% of the men have an age of 50-59.  The distribution according to rainfall zones shows a predominance of patients from semi-humid zones with a percentage of 83%.  The weight distribution of the patients shows variations according to sex and age group. There was a predominance of women in the 80-89 kg weight range with a percentage of 31.48%, followed by those in the 90-99 kg range (20.3%).   For men, 37% for weights between 80 and 89 kg and 26% for weights between 90 and 99 kg.  Lithiasis measuring less than 19 mm was predominant in all age groups with a percentage of 65%. Complex calculus measuring more than 40 mm represent a percentage of 22%, with a predominance in the 70-79 (5%) and 40-59 (2%) age groups.  There is a parallel evolution of stone size with weight. For stones larger than 40 mm, weights ranging from 70-99 kg are in the majority. The progression of lithiasis would be parallel to the protein consumption, which is directly correlated to the average per capita income. Our study showed that 59% of the patients for whom a nutritional survey was performed had an excessive consumption of lithogenic foods. In various developing countries, a progressive evolution of the epidemiological profile of calculi towards that observed in industrialized countries.  There is an increased risk of lithiasis demonstrated in cases of overweight or obesity which are frequently accompanied by metabolic syndrome.