Urinary calculous disease in Southeast Asian immigrants

Recent immigrants from Southeast Asia accounted for 39 of 149 hospital admissions for treatment of urinary tract stones. Presumptive diagnosis of a urinary calculus was possible in only 19 per cent of the refugees compared with 60 per cent of other patients treated at the same hospital (p less than 0.005). Calculi in Southeast Asian immigrants were larger (p less than 0.001), and surgical procedures were required more often (p less than 0.05) than for other patients with calculi. Urinary stones should be considered a likely cause of abdominal or urinary tract complaints in recent immigrants from Southeast Asia.