Prevalence and incidence of renal stone disease in a German population sample

261 male and 242 female patients (age 15-65 years) were questioned about renal colics with passage of renal stones. The patients were questioned while undergoing a medical examination. The prevalence of renal stones varied between 1.1% (males 15-29 years) and 20.6% (males 50-65 years) with an average of 6.9%. The incidence of passage of a calculus was 0.62% percent of the population per year. These figures in a German population sample are in agreement with more recent data from other industrialized countries and point to the magnitude of renal stone disease as a public health problem.