Anatomical distribution and biochemical composition of urolithiasis in Kano, northern Nigeria

Abstract

Urinary lithiasis disorder is one of the oldest disorders known to man yet the anatomic locations of urolithiasis and the chemical compositions vary from one geographic location to another. This study therefore analyzed the anatomic location of urolithiasis and their chemical composition in a sudano-sahelian tropical region. All Urolithiasis extracted from or passed by patients attending Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Abubakar Imam Urology centre and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital within the period of four years (2000-2003) were collected, their anatomic locations documented, and analyzed for chemical composition by chemical method. Urolithiasis occur in males six fold more than in females. On the whole the lower urinary stones consisted of 55.7%, while the upper urinary stone was 44.3% of the total urolithiasis extracted (p>0.05). The most frequent anatomic site for all urolithiasis is the urinary bladder (38.6%) followed by ureteric lithiasis (21.4%). Renal stone is more frequent than stones excreted in the urine, 17.1% and 16% respectively. Both urethral and gall gladder lithiasis presented with equal frequency of 8%. Calcium was present in 86.2% of the stones analyzed. Urate and magnesium were not components of all the urethral lithiasis analyzed. Urolithiasis was rare over the age of 65years. Frequency of composite analytes in the stones is presented. The lower urinary calculi were commonest in this centre than the upper urinary calculi and the chemical composition of urological calculi is similar to those reported in other parts of Nigeria.

Keywords: Urinary lithiasis, biochemical composition and distribution, calculi and stone formations