Seasonal Distribution of Renal Colic Visits to Emergency Department

Abstract

Objectives: Acute renal colic is the clinical term for the symptoms produced by urinary tract calculi as they migrate from the kidney. Many researchers investigated the seasonal effects as a risk factor in urinary calculi formation. However, the results of these studies vary. The aim of this study is to determine whether renal colic visits to our emergency department, stated in a warm region of Turkey, exhibit seasonal patterns. Materials and Methods: Patients who were considered to have renal colic and coded N20-23 according to ICD-10 codes, between January 1, 2001 and August 22, 2008 were enrolled into the study. Patient’s age, gender and the visit dates in a monthly interval were recorded.
Results: There were 6786 renal colic patients during the study period. 57.9% were males and the mean age was 40.1±14.6 years (min 16, max 96). Significant seasonal variations were found in renal colic visits. Only 21.6% of all visits (1466 patients) were in winter, 23.3% (1582 patients) were in spring, 25.6% (1737 patients) were in autumn and 29.5% (2001 patients) were in summer (p=0.000). The post-hoc analysis revealed significant differences between all seasons except between winter and spring (p=0.036).
Conclusion: The present study revealed the effects of warm seasons on renal colic. Possible causes of this relation may be the relative dehydrated status of the patients. Informing the patients on the importance of adequate şuid intake may lower the incidence of renal colic visits.