Clinical and statistical observations of bladder stones in Qatar

ABSTRACT

A total of 168 patients, of 14 different nationalities, were admitted with bladder stone between 1984 and 1991. This study included 142 patients as they constituted the largest three main different ethnic groups 35 [24.6%] Qatari, 40 [28.2%] Egyptian and 67 [47.2%] Asian patients. Only one 8-year old Pakistani child was admitted. 17.1% of the Qatari patients had bladder outflow obstruction due to prostatic hypertrophy compared with 3% in the Asian and 0% in the Egyptian groups. E. coli was the most common organism in the urine of 33 patients who had positive urine culture. More than 60% of patients in the three groups had a recent history of renal colic. 21 [52.5%] of the Egyptian patients had past history of bilharziasis. 75.3% of the stones were composed of calcium oxalate. No metabolic abnormalities were found in 10 patients who had recurrence of bladder stone formation. Bilharziasis in the Egyptian group and upper urinary tract lithiasis in the three groups are considered predisposing factors for bladder stone formation. The low incidence of bladder stone in the children of the native and expatriate families in Qatar is probably due to the improvement in the lifestyle, general health care and the quality of diet