Epidemiology of Stone Disease in Pakistan

Urinary tract stones are a common affliction across river, desert, and mountainous regions of Pakistan. A third of the stones have a single component. The commonest stone is composed of oxalate, with phosphate and uric acid as additional components. Calcium oxalate monohydrate is more abundantly present than the dihydrate. Phosphate stones comprise only about 7 % of all stones, and struvite is uncommon. Populations in the north have a greater proportion of pure and predominantly oxalate stones. Rural areas in the south have phosphate stones. The government of British India documented the frequent occurrence of stone in this region from the nineteenth century. The commonest stone was vesical. Noted stone transitions include (1) the marked increase in the discovery of renal stones, (2) the disappearance (except in pockets) of the idiopathic adult vesical stone, and (3) the decrease in children in the proportions of stones that are vesical. Late presentation for treatment and consequent renal destruction are still frequent.