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Urinary calculi (kidney stones) occur frequently in Oriental Jewish and Arab children in Western Galilee. A high family incidence suggests hereditary factors are important in this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Medical Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Urinary calculi (kidney stones) exhibit varying prevalence across different ethnic groups.
- Previous studies indicated higher rates in Oriental Jewish and Arab children compared to Ashkenazic European children in the Western Galilee region.
- The etiology of idiopathic urinary calculi remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and familial aggregation of urinary calculi in children from the Western Galilee region.
- To explore potential hereditary factors contributing to urinary calculi in a high-incidence population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 47 pediatric urinary calculi cases over 13 years.
- Epidemiological data collection on affected children and their family members.
- Comparison of incidence rates across different ethnic groups.
Main Results:
- High incidence of urinary calculi observed in Oriental Jewish (0.29/1,000) and Arab children (0.26/1,000).
- Low incidence noted in Ashkenazic European children (0.04/1,000).
- Significant familial aggregation: 21 out of 47 cases had affected family members (up to second cousins).
Conclusions:
- Hereditary factors likely play a significant role in the etiology of urinary calculi in this high-incidence population.
- The study highlights the importance of family history in assessing risk for urinary calculi.
- Further research into genetic predispositions is warranted.
Abstract:
Forty-seven cases of urinary calculi were seen, in children from the Western Galilee region, in the last thirteen years. This disease was found in very high frequency in Oriental Jewish children, as well as in Arab children (0.29/1,000 and 0.26/1,000, respectively), and is rare in Jewish children of Ashkenazic European origin (0.04/1,000). These facts were known from previous studies. The striking finding in this survey was the high family incidence of urinary calculi. In 21 of 47 cases from this series one or more family members (up to second cousins) were affected by the same disease. The etiology of "idiopathic" urinary calculi in cases in which no metabolic defect is found was never clearly established. This study suggests that hereditary factors have great importance in a population with a high incidence of this disease.