Urinary Oxalate, Citrate and Uric Acid in Healthy Primary School Children in Zahedan

Background: Urolithiasis in children is associated with metabolic disorders. The most important metabolic disorders are hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, hypocitraturia, cysitinuria and hyperuricosuria. This study aimed to evaluate the level of urinary solutes in healthy primary school children in Zahedan, Iran. Methods: This study was carried out on primary school-aged children. A total of 1800 samples were randomly selected using multistage random sampling method. Morning urine samples of children were taken and sent to the laboratory. Urine creatinine was measured by colorimetric device without removing proteins with BT3000 and photometer analyzer based on Jaffe method. Oxalate, uric acid, and citrate were measured using Pars test kits with photometric method. Weight and height were measured using standard protocols. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as the ratio of weight in kg to height in square of meter. The ratio of oxalate, citrate, and uric acid to creatinine were then measured based on age, sex, and BMI categories. Results: Of total, 1157 schoolchildren were participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 9 years (Range: 7-13 years) including 433 males (37.4%) and 724 females (62.6%).The mean level of Oxalate, citrate and uric acid to creatinine were estimated to be 0.02 ± 0.01, 2.98 ± 2.39 and 3.22 ±0.59, respectively. The prevalence of hpeyroxaluria, hypocitraturia and hyperuricosuria was 25.3%, 20.3% and 34.6%, respectively. There was significant relationship between age and ethnicity with urinary metabolic disorder. Conclusion: In this study, a high prevalence of urinary metabolic disorders were identified in school-aged children. The screening program of urinary solute for early detection of urinary metabolic disorder and kidney stones is recommended.