Onur BAĞCI, İbrahim ADALETLİ, Nur CANPOLAT, Salim ÇALIŞKAN, Fatma Lale SEVER
Türk Fen ve Sağlık Dergisi - 2026;7(3):227-235
Purpose: Pediatric urolithiasis has become more prevalent in recent years; however, studies focusing on urolithiasis in infancy are limited and mostly retrospective. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical, nutritional and metabolic characteristics of children younger than two years with urolithiasis and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Material and Methods: This single-center, case-control study included 30 children under 2 years of age diagnosed with urolithiasis and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Demographic characteristics, family history, nutritional and medication history, and presenting symptoms were recorded. All subjects underwent urinary ultrasonography and laboratory evaluation. Results: There were no significant differences between the patients and controls in terms of age (11.1+/-5.35 vs. 11.3+/-5.33 months) or male-to-female ratio (1.7:1 vs. 1.3:1). A positive family history of urolithiasis was significantly more common in patients than in controls (47% vs. 10%, p=0.003), whereas feeding practices, early water intake, and prematurity did not differ between groups. Restlessness was the most common presenting symptom (40.0%), and 16.7% of patients were asymptomatic. A total of 59 stones were identified; 16 patients (53.3%) had multiple stones and eight (26.7%) had bilateral stones, and 22 stones (37.3%) measured <3 mm. At least one metabolic abnormality was detected in 21 patients (70.0%), and five (16.7%) had more than one abnormality. Hypercalciuria (36.7% vs. 10.0%, p=0.015) and hypocitraturia (30.0% vs. 6.7%, p=0.020) were more frequent among patients. Conclusion: Urolithiasis in children younger than two years is frequently accompanied by a positive family history and metabolic abnormalities. Hypercalciuria and hypocitraturia were more commonly detected in affected children than in healthy controls.
