KARACHI: Diseases of urinary tract afflicting children
KARACHI, Nov 2: Paediatric urolithiasis continues to be endemic here, afflicting children with renal and bladder stone diseases in the country.
Dr. Manzoor Hussein of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), referred to a certain surge in the number of those more commonly inflicted with renal stone disease (RSD), including right from infants to those above 70.
Delayed intervention often exposes patients to end-stage renal disease leaving them with expensive options, such as dialysis, he told APP, mentioning that transplantation still remains a far cry for a large majority.
Around 70 per cent of all stone disease cases reported till 1984 were that related to bladder calculi and only 26 per cent to kidney, he said, adding the following years, however, witnessed an absolute reverse in the trend, with more than 76 per cent cases pertaining to renal calculi and 20 to 25 per cent to bladder.
Transformation in the disease pattern could be attributed to improved facilities to treat bladder stones at district levels besides certain improvement in the dietary habits of locals.
Dr. Manzoor Hussain, elaborating his stance, mentioned that awareness had helped a significant number of people to change their attitudes, ensuring that child is also provided with cow’s milk, a rich source of phosphorous which helps containing formation of bladder stones through little absorption of oxalate.
This is further complimented by improved intake of proteins, he added. But did not falter to remind that 99 per cent of the children still coming to local hospitals with BSD (bladder stone disease) belong to remote areas of rural sectors along with urban slum dwellers, generally malnourished.
Of the total load of urological diseases registered at the SIUT, 60 per cent constitutes stone related complications. A total of 56 per cent of these RSD and BSD patients belong to interior parts of Sindh and 20 per cent to 25 per cent pertain to Karachi and other parts of the country.
With reference to renal stone disease, contributory to major bulk of urolithiasis in the country, predominantly in Sindh, the urologists involved in a series of studies, referred to etiology of stone formation in the local population.—APP
