Ethnic diversity and urolithiasis: a single-center experience

Despite the diversity in the prevalence and risk factors of urolithiasis across different geographic regions, limited information exists among various ethnic groups of the same population. This study investigates the prevalence of kidney stones (KSs) among different ethnicities in a single center in Qatar and the risk factors associated with KS formation. This retrospective cross-sectional study was on Qatari residents who visited Al-Khor Hospital between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2019. All adult permanent residents who presented with KSs or visited the hospital for general check-ups and for whom the required data were available were included. There was a highly significant difference in KS prevalence among ethnicities (p-value < 0.001). The Egyptians had the highest prevalence of KSs (78.5%), followed by Qataris (65.0%), Palestinians (63.5%), Bangladeshis (59.4%), Syrians (55.9%), Jordanians (53.8%), and Yemenis (53.5%). However, no significant difference was found when comparing the different races regarding urolithiasis (p-value = 0.19). Individuals with hypertension and diabetes mellitus had a significantly higher prevalence of KSs (p-value = 0.001). Among patients with prior renal surgery and positive family history, 59.9% and 70.5% had KSs, compared to 49.1% and 48.3% without previous surgery and negative family history (p-values = 0.002 and < 0.001, respectively). Smoking, poor dietary intake, alcohol consumption, and severe exposure to sunlight were significantly associated with KSs (p-value < 0.001). Urolithiasis among the Qatari population is multifactorial and shows variation based on ethnicity, with natives being the second most frequently affected group.