ORLANDO, FL USA (UroToday.com) - Calcium phosphate stones are more common in basic urine pH. Thus, there is concern that the potassium citrate (KCIT) may increase the formation of this subtype of renal stones. As a result, Sara L Best and colleagues wanted to evaluate stone composition and 24-h urinary parameters in patients on KCIT.
The authors assessed patients who were given KCIT, retrospectively. The authors identified patients with 24hour urine analysis within 9 months of KCIT treatment initiation. They then compared pre- and post-KCIT variables including urine pH and assessing stone composition.
The study included 80 patients in this retrospective review. Mean brushite composition of obese patients decreased after treatment but increased in non-obese patients. Calcium oxalate stone compositions, urinary citrate, and magnesium behaved similarly.
The authors concluded from their study that urine pH did not increase with KCIT treatment. BMI had an effect on the stone composition of patients. It seems that being obese may have an effect on stone formation due to potassium citrate treatment. However, the study may not have enough power for this analysis, and it would be beneficial to study this effect in a prospective clinical trial. The authors discussed limitations with the study, some of which included small sample size, retrospective design, and patient adherence to the medication. If the patients in the non-obese group were less compliant with KCIT, the results may have been different than presented. For future studies, this is an important consideration in designing a protocol.
Presented by Sara L. Best, MD at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting - May 16 - 21, 2014 - Orlando, Florida USA
Madison, WI USA
Written by Garen Abedi, MD, University of California (Irvine), and medical writer for UroToday.com