Urinary stone in infants; should vitamin D prophylaxis be stopped?
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Published on: February 9, 2021
Aykut Akinci1, Murat Can Karaburun2, Eralp Kubilay3
1Department of Pediatric Urology, Denizli State Hospital, Denizli, Turkey.
Insights
Discontinuing vitamin D supplementation in infants did not affect kidney stone formation or size. Continued vitamin D prophylaxis is recommended for infants with urolithiasis despite inconclusive findings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Urology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Investigated the impact of vitamin D supplementation cessation on kidney stone development in infants.
- Focused on children under two years of age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if discontinuing vitamin D supplementation influences kidney stone formation or progression in infants.
- To analyze stone formation and size changes in relation to vitamin D status.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of two groups: postoperative stone-free patients and asymptomatic patients with kidney stones.
- Compared stone formation and size progression between infants who discontinued and continued vitamin D supplementation.
- Collected data included patient demographics, stone measurements, and lab results.
Main Results:
- Vitamin D discontinuation showed no association with kidney stone formation or size progression in either patient group.
- No significant differences in stone status or size changes were observed between groups at 12 months.
- Stone-free rates and stone size progression were comparable in infants who continued or discontinued vitamin D.
Conclusions:
- Further research is required for definitive recommendations on vitamin D prophylaxis in infants with kidney stones.
- Despite inconclusive evidence on discontinuation effects, continued vitamin D prophylaxis is advised for infants diagnosed with urolithiasis.
Background:
This study investigated the effect of the discontinuation of vitamin D supplementation on kidney stone formation in children under 2 years of age.
Methods:
This study involved a retrospective analysis of two patient groups. The first group comprised postoperative patients who were stone-free, while the second group consisted of asymptomatic patients with kidney stones. The patients who discontinued vitamin D supplementation and those who continued were compared in terms of stone formation and stone size progression. The data collected included patient characteristics, stone size measurements, and laboratory results.
Results:
The findings showed that the discontinuation of vitamin D supplementation was not associated with kidney stone formation or the progression of stone size in either group. For patients who were stone-free on ultrasonography 1 month after the operation, according to the 12-month ultrasonography evaluation, in the group that discontinued vitamin D, 42 (78%) patients had no stones, 6 (11%) patients had stones larger than 3 mm, and 6 (11%) patients had microlithiasis. However, in the group that continued vitamin D, 49 (72%) patients were stone-free, 10 (15%) patients had stones larger than 3 mm, and 9 (13%) patients had microlithiasis. There was no difference between the groups in terms of stone status at 12 months (p = 0.76). For patients with asymptomatic kidney stones, the initial stone sizes were similar between the groups (p = 0.74). During the 6th month of ultrasound, the changes in stone size were 1.76 ± 1.81 mm and 1.79 ± 1.75 mm for the two groups, respectively (p = 0.9). During the 12-month ultrasound measurement, the changes in stone size were 1.98 ± 2.93 mm and 2.60 ± 2.48 mm for the two groups, respectively (p = 0.09).
Conclusions:
We believe that more research is needed to make definitive recommendations regarding vitamin D prophylaxis in infants with kidney stones. Although the first objective of our study is not conclusively proven with the current findings, we recommend continued vitamin D prophylaxis in infants with urolithiasis.
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