La urolitiasis y sus factores de riesgo: un problema de salud actual

Resumen

Introduction: urolithiasis is a chronic disease that has significantly impacted the quality of life of the world's population. Its increasing prevalence and recurrence rate has an impact on the socioeconomic aspect by affecting health systems. Numerous biological factors and some social and demographic variables have favoured its development.

Objective: to contribute to the knowledge of the scientific community regarding the risk factors associated with kidney stones in adult patients.

Methods: a bibliographic review was conducted in SciELO, EBSCO, Scopus and PubMed databases between January and July 2024. Urolithiasis, nephrolithiasis and risk factors were the descriptors used. A number of 399 articles were retrieved and the 27 most relevant were selected as a sample.

Conclusions: we found that the prevalence of kidney stones increases with age both in men and women, although it is more common in young men. Genetic and environmental risk factors that promote this disease were also determined. Diet stands out among the latter: eating habits promote the tendency of some subjects to lithogenicity. That is why, healthy lifestyles are essential in the prevention of this disease.