STUDY OF URINARY STONES IN SYRIAN COAST (COMPOSITION AND ETIOLOGY)

*Yousef Bada, Mohammad Kanaan and Ayman Harfoush

ABSTRACT

Background: Urinary stones are a common disease especially in civil societies. The rate of stone formation during a person life is estimated between 1-15%. Our country is located in the stone belt area, which is a geographical region characterized by high rates of stone formation among its population. It includes: Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Objective: Determining the prevalence of all types urinary stones in Syrian, and studying the causes of occurrence and recurrence. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of urinary stone patients in Syrian coast during 2022 and 2023. A chemical analysis was performed on stones isolated from the patients. They were 985 patients. Results: The study included 985 patients who had urinary stones: 614 male patients and 371 female patients. The most common complaint among patients at diagnosis was flank pain at a rate of 69.5%. urinary tract abnormalities causing stone formation were diagnosed in 7.9% of patients. The most common type of stones was pure calcium oxalate stones at a rate of 29.8%. The presence of a single or multiple metabolic disorder was recorded in 59.3% of patients. The most common metabolic disorder was hypercalciuria at a rate of 45.8%, followed by hypocitraturia at a rate of 38.7%. There was significant association between increased BMI and increased formation of uric acid stones and mixed stones (calcium oxalate + uric acid). There is an important relationship between stone recurrence and the presence of important metabolic disorders (hypocitraturia, hyperoxaluria, hyperuricosuria and decreased urine volume). Conclusion: It is recommended to analyze the components of urinary stones to determine the chemical composition, and apply adequate metabolic study for patients to determine the cause of stone formation, especially in patients with recurrent stones to prevent recurrence, which reflects a better quality of life for the patient and reduces treatment costs, especially in the stone belt area.

Keywords: Urinary stones, Stones analysis, Stones recurrence, Syrian coast.