Thirteen Years Trend in the Magnitude of Urolithiasis and Cholelithiasis in Ethiopia: Evidence from Hospital-Based Retrospective Study

Abstract Background Recent studies have reported an increasing prevalence of stone diseases (urolithiasis and cholelithiasis) worldwide. However, studies that evaluate the occurrence of stone diseases in Ethiopia are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine trends in the incidence of stone diseases, and the associated comorbidities in Ethiopia during the last 13 years. Methods Thirteen years retrospective data were collected from medical records (Log Books and Electronic Databases) at St. Paulos Tertiary Referral Hospital, September 2005/2006 to 2017/2018. A total of 32,370 surgically treated patients were included in the study. Open surgical treatments related to stone diseases were identified via a thorough review of patient medical records. Data were analyzed using Graph Pad Prism 6 Software. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Stone diseases were found in 4044 (12.5%) patients. Of which, the prevalence of urolithiasis was 2.3%, whereas gallstones were 10.2%. In the last 13 years, the trend in stone prevalence has increased by 10.8% from year 2005/6 (6.4%) to 2017/18 (17.2%). The prevalence of stone diseases was found to be higher in females (72.7%) than in males (27.3%). In the case of gallstones, the ratio of females to males was 11.2:1, whereas urinary stones occurred equally in both sexes. The mean age at which the stones occurred was 42 years, and most cases (51.5%) were prevalent between 30 and 49 years of age. The majority of gallstone patients (65.2%) were asymptomatic, and most urolithiatic cases (46.5%) were located in the kidneys. Comorbidities associated with urolithiasis were the reduction in urinary output, and benign prostatic hyperplasia, whereas hernia and diabetes mellitus were associated with gallstones (P<0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of urolithiasis and gallstones has been increasing over the past 13 years in patients reporting to a referral hospital from different parts of Ethiopia. These findings will raise the awareness of attending physicians and policy makers for prompt treatment interventions and to institute possible prevention measures to minimize stone recurrences. Moreover, research on alternative traditional medicinal treatment must be conducted since there are wide claims in Ethiopian folk medicine about curing stone diseases.