Investigation of the relationship between stone disease and osteopenia and osteoporosis in men between 40-70 years of age

Purpose: Urinary system stone disease is a commonly encountered condition, particularly in our country. Since the disease is recurrent, it requires long-term monitoring. Osteopenia and osteoporosis are significant public health issues characterized by decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased susceptibility to bone fractures. The purpose of our study is to investigate the frequency of osteopenia/osteoporosis between patients with urolithiasis and those without. Method: Our study examined two groups consisting of 100 patients each, who presented to the Dicle University Urology Clinic with urolithiasis and without urolithiasis. The patients' routine biochemical measurements, demographic characteristics, and BMD were analyzed. We investigated whether the group with urolithiasis had a higher risk for osteopenia-osteoporosis compared to the control group. Findings: All of the patients included in our study were male. Female patients were excluded due to the impact of menopause on BMD. The mean age was 53.71±8.87 years. Diabetes mellitus was detected in 10% of the patients. Among the group with urolithiasis, it was found that 46% had normal BMD, 32% had osteopenia, and 22% had osteoporosis. A statistically significant increase in the risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia was observed in the presence of urolithiasis when compared between the two groups (p=0.036). Upon further examination for recurrent urolithiasis, it was found that 28% of the patients had normal BMD, 44% had osteopenia, and 28% had osteoporosis. This finding indicates that recurrent stone disease also increases the risk (p=0.037). Conclusion: It has been observed that urolithiasis, especially recurrent stone disease, reduces BMD and increases the risk of osteopenia-osteoporosis. We recommend monitoring individuals with stone disease for these aspects. Keywords: Urolithiasis, stone disease, bone, osteoporosis, osteopenia.