[Metabolic risk factors in calcium urolithiasis according to gender and age of the patients].
BACKGROUND
Little information is available on the metabolic changes found in relation to gender and aging in patients with urolithiasis. In this study a comparison has been made of the metabolic profiles in men and women, in different groups of aging, with calcium-containing urinary stones in order to identify possibly significant differences.


METHODS
In the past five years, a total of 500 patients with calcium-containing urinary stones, 226 male (45.2%) and 274 female (54.8%), have undergone comprehensive metabolic evaluation. The mean age was 47.4 years, with a range of 20 to 75 years. The patients was included in 3 groups: 151 patients aged 20-39 years, 255 patients aged 40-59 years and 94 patients aged 60-75 years. A comparison has been made of the frequency of metabolic changes, the urinary biochemical parameters and the supersaturation index (AP(CaOx)) between a group of men and a group of women and the different groups of aging. All patients carried out in an identical manner to metabolic diagnosis. The patients with morphologic and functional abnormalities were excluded.


RESULTS
Hyperoxaluria, hyperuricosuria and hypocitraturia were more common in men than in women, whilst in women, hypercalciuria and a low urinary volume were more frequent with respect to men, though the differences in hypercalciuria were not statistically significant. Men excrete higher levels of calcium, phosphate, oxalate, uric acid and magnesium than women. On the other hand, women excrete higher levels of citrate than men. The AP(CaOx) index is significantly higher in men than in women. Hypercalciuria were more common in patients aged < 60 years, and low urinary volume were more frequent in patients aged < 40 years. Patients aged < 60 years excrete higher levels of calcium, phosphate and uric acid. The AP(CaOx) index is significantly higher in patients aged < 60 years.


CONCLUSIONS
Differences were observed between the metabolic profiles of men and women, and in different groups of aging. Men and younger patients afford a metabolic profile of upper lithogenic risk compared with women and older patients; this is consistent with the upper reported prevalence of lithiasis and the upper tendency to recurrence in men and middle-age patients.
Lancina Martín
J A
JA
Servicio de Urología, Hospital Juan Canalejo, A Coruña.
Rodríguez-Rivera García
J
J
Novás Castro
S
S
Rodríguez Gómez
I
I
Fernández Rosado
E
E
Alvarez Castelo
L
L
Blanco Díez
A
A
González Martín
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*
D002118:Calcium