Perception of Dietary Influences on Renal Stone Formation Among the General Population

Introduction Urolithiasis is a common disorder worldwide with an increasing prevalence and high recurrence rate. This makes preventive measures like dietary modification an essential part of patient care. This study focuses on gauging the perception of dietary habits favoring kidney stone formation. Materials and methods A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted at Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. For nine food items and 14 beverages, respondents chose one of four options with regards to their relationship with stone formation, i.e. "increasing", "decreasing", "no effect", and "do not know". Responses were matched against evidence from the literature to generate correct and incorrect responses, thereby gauging perception for individual items. Results Seven hundred and three participants including 69 (9.6%) with a prior history of kidney stones, were recruited for the study. Participants with a personal history of kidney stone disease were older (odds ratio (OR}: 1.042 CI 1.020-1.064) with a significantly higher family history of stones (OR: 2.151 CI: 1.472-3.144). The majority were managed medically (87%) but never received dietary counseling (57%). Water, soft drinks, and tomatoes were the only three items out of 23 that were correctly identified by >50% of the participants with regards to their effect on stone formation. Responses did not differ significantly between those with stone disease and those without. Conclusion There is a lack of awareness among the general population, including individuals with a prior history of kidney stones regarding dietary prevention of kidney stone disease. This demonstrates a lack of existing dietary counseling thus necessitating the need for incorporating it at a mass level.