Comparison of urinary tract infection in calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stone formers

M H Gault1, M D Paul, L Longerich

  • 1General Hospital, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.

Nephron
|January 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Urinary tract infections are not significantly more common in calcium phosphate stone formers than in calcium oxalate stone formers. This study suggests infection is not the primary cause of calcium phosphate stones.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Urology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a potential factor in kidney stone formation.
  • Calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate stones are common types of renal calculi.
  • The role of infection in the etiology of calcium phosphate stones requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the incidence of UTIs in patients forming calcium phosphate versus calcium oxalate stones.
  • To investigate the prevalence of urease-producing bacteria in calcium phosphate stone formers.
  • To assess the association between urine leucocytes and stone type.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of patients with renal stones analyzed for composition.
  • Categorization into calcium phosphate (n=118) and calcium oxalate (n=223) stone formers.
  • Comparison of positive urine cultures and urine leucocyte counts between the two groups.

Main Results:

  • Positive urine cultures were slightly more frequent in calcium phosphate stone formers (17% men, 22% women) compared to calcium oxalate stone formers (7.6% men, 15% women), but this difference was not statistically significant.
  • Urease-producing bacteria were identified in only 4% of the calcium phosphate stone group.
  • Urine leucocytes were more frequent in the calcium oxalate group, particularly in women.

Conclusions:

  • The findings do not support the hypothesis that calcium phosphate stones are primarily caused by infections with urease-producing bacteria.
  • Urinary tract infections do not appear to be a significantly greater risk factor for calcium phosphate stone formation compared to calcium oxalate stones.

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