Aortic calcification in urolithiasis patients.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between urolithiasis and calcification of the aortic artery.


METHODS
We examined the relationship between urolithiasis and calcification of the aortic artery in 181 patients with urinary calcium stones (stone group) and in 181 without a history of urolithiasis (control group). All patients underwent abdominal CT to score the degree of calcification at the aortic arterial wall, as follows: 0, none; 1, <120 degrees calcification; 2, > or =120 degrees to <240 degrees calcification; and 3, > or =240 degrees calcification. Both the stone and control groups were further classified into three groups each according to gender and age.


RESULTS
Aortic calcification scores differed significantly between the stone and control groups in males aged > or =20-<40 years (0.43+/-0.50 vs 0.13+/-0.35, respectively) and in females aged > or =60 years (1.81+/-0.74 vs 1.44+/-0.64, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that common causative factors are associated with urolithiasis and arteriosclerosis and that adult males with arteriosclerosis develop urolithiasis more easily than those without.
Yasui
Takahiro
T
Department of Nephro-urology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan. yasui@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
Itoh
Yasunori
Y
Bing
Gao
G
Okada
Atsushi
A
Tozawa
Keiichi
K
Kohri
Kenjiro
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002784:Cholesterol; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052878:Urolithiasis / Q000150:complications*
D002784:Cholesterol