Background. Urinary stone disease (USD) is a condition characterised by the presence of
stones within the urinary tract. It is the third most common urological disease with the reported
increasing prevalence rates worldwide and the reported increased prevalence rate during the last
two decades in Armenia.
Study aim. This study aims to investigate the relationship between diet and other risk
factors, and USD in the Armenian population.
Methods. The case-control study design was used to identify the risk factors associated
with the development of USD among adult population (≥18 years), who underwent ultrasound
examination in Izmirlyan Medical Center. Patients, who were diagnosed (cases)/ not diagnosed
(controls) with USD during the period of August 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016, were recruited
for the study. Overall, 453 patients (232 cases and 221 controls) participated in the study. The
data collection was done using the structured interviewer-administered questionnaire, which was
developed by using 5 different validated sources and contained questions on socio-demographic
characteristics, dietary factors and lifestyle habits.
Results. The mean age of study participants was 44.6 (SD = 14.2) and 47.2 (SD= 16.0) in
cases and controls, respectively. The majority of cases were males (63.4%), while there were
fewer males in controls (43.9%). More cases reported positive family history compared controls
(25.0% and 6.3%, respectively). We found that socio-demographic characteristics, such as age,
gender, BMI and family history of USD, were associated with development of USD. The
consumption of some fluids, such as water, beer and wine, as well as consumption of banana and
chicken or turkey without skin were found to have preventive effect for developing USD. The
consumption of several food items, such as cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli, corn, nuts, and
chicken or turkey without skin, were found to have harmful effect for developing of USD. We
did not find any differences in the strength of associations between risk factors and USD
between men and women.
Conclusion. Our research was the first study that identified risk factors of USD among the
Armenian population. Our results will be useful for urologists, public health specialists and
patients in order to prevent both incident as well as recurrent cases of USD in the future.