Urolithiasis in Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

In a selected material of 228 patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (CIBD) the incidence of urolithiasis was 15% (95% confidence limit 11–21). The tendency to urolithiasis is significantly correlated to small-bowel resection and its extent and to obstruction in the urinary tract. On the other hand, there is no definite correlation to the duration or extent of the bowel disease. The significant correlation between urolithiasis and ileal resection is in agreement with the hyperabsorption of oxalate as an important cause of stone formation demonstrated by others. That local factors too play an essential role in the formation of urinary calculi is apparent from the increased incidence of urolithiasis in obstruction of the urinary tract. The incidence of urolithiasis was particularly high (22–25%) among patients with ileostomies. The few and negligible symptoms of, and sequelae to, urolithiasis in CIBD encourage a conservative attitude.

Key words:

• Chronic inflammatory bowel disease
• Crohn's disease
• ulcerative colitis
• urolithiasis