New aspects of urolithiasis in France

Objective: To confirm epidemiological studies showing a continuous progression of calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis in western countries, we investigated some aspects of the evolution of stone disease in France. Methods: Calculi collected from 1977 to 1993 in 10,438 adult French patients were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. Only 8,631 well-documented cases were available. The anatomical location, the removal mode of calculi, and the time evolution of stone composition were studied. Results: The stones were more often retained in the upper urinary tract in females than in males and needed urological removal. Uric acid stones were more frequently observed on the left side in both sexes (p < 0.0001). Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy seems to have been used for a time in calculi which would have been spontaneously discharged. Calcium oxalate stones were preponderant, but their proportion did not change in both sexes. A significant decrease of the proportion of calcium phosphate stones was observed in females (p < 0.0001), probably responsible for the increase of the male/female sex ratio from 1.7 to 2.4. Conclusion: From our observations and from the evolution of dietary habits in France, it can be deduced that urolithiasis trends to a plateau.