title: Chemical components of urinary stones according to age and sex of adult patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Report the relationship of composition with age and sex of the patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A series of 426 urinary stones, 33 from the lower (LUT) and 393 from the upper urinary tract (UUT) of adults, were analyzed for their chemical composition using infrared spectroscopy. The majority of LUT stones were from males (n = 26) and in the age group beyond 60 years (n = 20).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Calcium oxalate (CaOx) and uric acid and urate (UA-UR) were the main constituents in LUT stones of males and UA-UR and magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) of females. While UA-UR was distributed in all age group of males, it was only detected in elderly females. In cases of UUT stones, the peak finding for both sexes was for the 50-59-year-olds (age class). The MAP component was found more commonly in UUT stones of females, particularly in the younger age groups. CaOx and calcium phosphate (CaP) were the main components of UUT stones in both sexes (CaP was slightly more common in females) with the highest proportion in the 30-49-year-olds (age class), thereafter they declined and were replaced with UA-UR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the proportion of LUT stones in the present study was small, the present findings agree with previous studies on the role of both age and sex in the etiopathogeny of urinary stones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
authors.forename: Vitoon
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Prasongwatana
authors.forename: Sombat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bovornpadungkitti
authors.forename: Ekkarin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chotikawanich
authors.forename: Kachit
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pachitrat
authors.forename: Sunthon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suwanatrai
authors.forename: Pote
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sriboonlue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002129:Calcium Oxalate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010710:Phosphates; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D000069877:Struvite; D013785:Thailand; D014527:Uric Acid; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D010710:Phosphates; D002129:Calcium Oxalate; D014527:Uric Acid; D000069877:Struvite