What is the Real Risk Factor of Urinary Calculi in Iranian Children?

The earliest reports on urolithiasis in Iranian children in 1980s revealed calcium oxalate and ammonium acid urate were the most common components of urinary calculi. Since then there have been increasing numbers of published studies about the risk factors of urolithiasis in Iranian children. A cross-sectional study conducted by Akhavan and coworkers4 showed the incidence of urinary calculi in school-aged children in Qom was 1% . They simultaneously studied the urinary excretion of metabolic factors in those school-aged children. Surprisingly, 23% of asymptomatic children without calculus showed hypercalciuria and all of them had hypocitraturia. The result should be interpreted cautiously because of potential technical error, different normal ranges for Iranian children, or nutritional factors.