Introduction and Objectives
The worldwide prevalence and epidemiologic characteristics of urolithiasis appear to have changed in the last decades. The aim of the study is to update the current status of the disease in Turkey.
Material and Methods
A representative sample of 2468 persons aged between 18–70 years in 33 provinces of Turkey was enrolled in the cross-sectional study conducted with A&G, a professional market investigation company. Participants were evaluated with face to face interviews by medical faculty students.
Results
Of the 2468 participants, 274 (11.1%) reported history of urinary stone disease diagnosed by a physician and additionally 52 (2.1%) had at least one episode of colic pain during their lifetimes. The family history of urolithiasis was found in 28.5% of first-degree relatives, compared to 4.4% in the stone-free participants (P = 0.01). The male: female ratio was 1:1 in participants with urolithiasis. The annual incidence of urolithiasis in 2008 was 2.6%. Comparing the other ethnic groups (Kurdish, Laz, Arabic, Georgian, etc), the population Turkish in origin had statistically significant decreased risk of having urolithiasis disease (p = 0.006). Though statistically not significant (p > 0.05), urolithiasis showed a trend toward a geographical distribution within the country where south-eastern Anatolia and Aegean regions have higher frequencies compared to Black Sea, central Anatolian and eastern Anatolian regions.
Conclusions
Urinary stone disease is a severe problem in Turkey with high prevalence and incidence rates which also significantly differ between ethnic groups. Moreover, current findings demonstrate a shift in the prevalence by gender of urolithiasis in the population.
Article info
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
