Towards solving the riddle of nephrolithiasis: a South Africa perspective

South Africa has a rich tradition in urinary tract stone research. This paper asks what research originating from South Africa has contributed to the understanding of the pathophysiology of nephrolithiasis. Many of these contributions are based on the premise that ethnicity variation accounts for dramatic differences in the prevalence of nephrolithiasis and that South Africa represents an ideal place for investigating this variation. It needs to be noted that many of the papers dealing with this question, as Rodgers has put it, "demonstrate an insensitivity to racial terminology and classifications." We have nevertheless attempted to review these papers to understand what valid science this literature holds and how it can inform further work in the relatively under-investigated field of nephrolithiasis aetiology and pathophysiology.