[The characteristics of the chemical composition and structure of urinary stones and their prevalence in the cities of Moscow, Berlin and of the Kirghiz SSR].

The authors studied the features of urolithiasis in three different geographical regions: Moscow, the Kirghiz SSR, and Berlin from the findings of examination of the composition and structure of uroliths removed by operation or passed spontaneously, (602 concrements from Moscow, 10,000 from Berlin, and 127 from Kirghizia). X-ray diffraction measurement, infrared spectrophotometry, and polarizing microscopy were conducted to analyze the composition and structure of the stones. Complex biochemical examination was carried out in patients from Moscow and Kirghizia. According to the results of the study, the following features of urolithiasis are common in the studied regions: (1) prevalence of oxalate lithiasis on the whole, which points to the principal role of metabolic factors in lithogenesis; (2) approximately similar amounts of apatite carbonate crystals in the uroliths; (3) certain similarity in composition of concrements from Berlin and Kirghizia. The most essential differences are: (1) the frequency of renal oxalate stones is highest in Berlin and lowest in Moscow. The prevalent types of calcium oxalate stones are: whewellite of concentric structure (linked with hyperuricemia) in Kirghizia; whewellite of small randomly orientated crystals (linked with hypercalciuria) and stones with signs of transformation of weddellite to whewellite in Moscow; (2) lesser distribution of phosphate lithiasis in Berlin than in Kirghizia and particularly in Moscow. Prevalence of struvite crystals in stones from Moscow, the formation of which is linked with the vital activity of Proteus and E. coli; (3) higher distribution of urate lithiasis in Moscow and particularly in Kirghizia where significant metabolic risk factors of lithogenesis were revealed.