Urolithiasis and water intake in Saudi Arabia, is it a matter of quality or quantity?

Introduction: Urolithiasis is a significant problem with an increasing incidence and prevalence worldwide. Multiple factors such as water intake, climate change, dietary habit, and genetic factors can affect stone formation. Our aim is to clarify the relationship between water intake and urolithiasis in Saudi Arabia as a hot climate area.

Methods: This cross-sectional internet-based survey was conducted in November 2017. Our study was performed using a standard web-based questionnaire using social media open to all internet users. We excluded the incomplete responses. Analysis of the data was then carried out using Chi-square test and SPSS package version 20.

Results: We found a great response to our survey, where 9100 participants responded. Among the participants, 76.6% were females and 23.4% were males. The largest age group was between 18 and 30 years (60.8%). Of the participants, 842 (9.3%) had history of urinary tract stones. About 74.3% of the participants with a history of urinary tract stones were drinking <1 L/day of water in comparison with those who had no history of urinary tract stones who were drinking a minimum of 1.25 L/day in 55.1%. Regarding the type of water intake, there was no significant relationship between the type of water and the incidence of stones formation ( =0.096). The amount of water was significantly correlated with the urolithiasis ( = 0.000).

Conclusion: We concluded that the amount of water intake per day significantly correlated with urolithiasis, and according to our study, the minimally accepted intake was ≥1.25 L/day. However, the type of water consumed has no statistically significant impact on stone formation.