Lithogenic activity as a factor to consider in the metabolic evaluation of patients with calcium lithiasis

Metabolic evaluation is important in high-risk patients with a history of urinary calculi, in order to prevent recurrence. This study aimed to compare patients with calcium calculi and mild lithogenic activity with those with moderate to severe lithogenic activity. Patients with moderate to severe activity had higher levels of urinary calcium level (271.9 mg/24h versus 172.1 mg/24 h, P < .001), uric acid (612.3 mg/24 h versus 528.9 mg/24h, P = .008), and fasting calcium-creatinine ratio (0.16 versus 0.12, P = .001) compared to those with mild lithogenic activity. No association was observed between lithogenic factors in 24-hour urine and mild lithogenic activity in multivariable analysis. We initially thought that in patients who develop recurrent calculi after 5 years or who have mild lithogenic activity, complete metabolic evaluation would not be necessary. However, based on our study findings, it may be important to conduct further studies assessing the lithogenic activity.