Prevalence and Factors Associated with Kidney Stones in the Elderly Iranian Population: Findings from the Ardakan Cohort Study on Aging (ACSA).

Background: The incidence of kidney stones has been rising globally, particularly among the elderly. This study aims to determine the prevalence of kidney stones and its associated factors in Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using the data collected in the first phase of Ardakan Cohort Study on individuals aged 50 years and above, in the Yazd province, Iran. Baseline data was collected using a comprehensive checklist and kidney stone occurrence was ascertained through participants' self-reported response to the question "Have you ever been diagnosed with kidney stones?" Logistic regression analysis was used due to the binary nature of the outcome.

Results: Period prevalence of kidney stone was 22.79 (95% CI=19.41 to 24.12). Thus, out of the total sample of 4,884 individuals, 1113 participants had a history of kidney stones. Among these, 412 (37%) were female and 701 (63%) were male. Significant associations were observed between a history of kidney stones and factors such as self-reported poor health, alcohol consumption, dysuria, higher education level, male gender, and presence of calcium oxalate crystals.

Conclusion: This study shows the high prevalence of kidney stones compared to other studies. Considering the relationship between kidney stones and some preventable disorders in the elderly, such as high blood pressure and alcohol consumption, it seems that paying attention to kidney stone disorders can be part of preventive health and treatment interventions for this population group.