Epidemiology of urolithiasis in Asia

In Asia,about 1%-19.1% of the population suffer fromurolithiasis.However,due to variations in socio-economic status and geographic locations,the prevalence and incidence have changed in different countries or regions over the years.The research for risk factors of urinary tract stones is of predominant importance.In this review,we find the prevalence of urolithiasis is 5%-19.1% in West Asia,Southeast Asia,South Asia,aswellas somedevelopedcountries(SouthKorea and Japan),whereas,it is only 1%e8%inmost part of East Asia and North Asia.The recurrence rate ranges from 21% to 53% after 3e5 years.Calciumoxalate(75%-90%)is themost frequent component of calculi,followed by uric acid(5%-20%),calciumphosphate(6%-13%),struvite(2%-15%),apatite(1%)and cystine(0.5%-1%).The incidence of urolithiasis reaches its peak in population agedover 30 years.Males aremore likely to suffer fromurinary calculi.Because of different dietary habits or genetic background,differences of prevalence among races or nationalities also exist.Geneticmutation of specific locus may contribute to the formation of different kinds of calculi.Dietary habits(westernized dietary habits and less fluid intake),as well as climatic factors(hot temperature andmany hours of exposure to sunshine)play a crucial role in the development of stones.Other diseases,especially metabolic syndrome,may also contribute to urinary tract stones.