title: [Changes in kidney stones type according to sex and age in Tunisian patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies that evaluate the effect of age and gender on the stone composition are scarce. The aim of this study is to highlight the modification of epidemiological characteristics of this pathology according to patients' sex and age.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 1269 urolithiasic patients ranging from 6 months to 92 years old and known as having urinary stones (752 males and 517 females). Stone analysis was performed respectively using a stereomicroscope and infrared spectroscopy to determine, respectively, the morphological type and molecular composition of each.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The annual average incidence of new stone formation was 30.25 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 1041 patients (81%), calculi were located in the upper urinary tract. Children and old man were more affected by bladder stone. Calcium oxalate monohydrate remains the most frequent stone component even if its frequency fell according to age (63.2% in teenagers and 40.6% in elderly [p<0.05]) in favour of the increase of uric acid stones (3,5% in teenagers and 41.5% in elderly [p<0.05]). Struvite stones were rare (3.5%) and more frequent in children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analysis of these data shows that urinary stones in Tunisia are tending to evolve in the same direction as in industrialized countries.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Toxicología, Hospital Universitario, Monastir, Túnez. akram alaya@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alaya
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nouri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belgith
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hell
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hellara
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jouini
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Najjar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002129:Calcium Oxalate / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017616:Magnesium Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010710:Phosphates / Q000032:analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012922:Social Change; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D000069877:Struvite; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000032:analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D010710:Phosphates; C016189:whewellite; D002129:Calcium Oxalate; D014527:Uric Acid; C016188:weddellite; D000069877:Struvite