RETINOL DEFICIENCY AND URINARY STONE DISEASE - CLINICAL-EVIDENCE IS MISSING

Serum retinol levels were studied in : (a) 95, 56 and 43 normal subjec ts belonging to lower, middle and upper socio-economic groups respecti vely, (b) 35 adult males suffering from night blindness, (c) 27 subjec ts with low retinol levels, (d) 8 retinol deficient subjects (e) 17 ma le infants suffering from overt retinol deficiency, (f) 43 radiologica lly confirmed stone patients and (g) age and sex matched controls (inf ants 20; adults 120). The subjects included in groups b to f were clin ically and radiologically examined for stone disease. Some inhibitors and promotors of stone disease were estimated in urine in groups b to g. It was found that 68 % of subjects in lower socio-economic group ha d serum retinol levels between 10 and 19 ug%, and 4% below 10 ug%, but none of them showed any symptoms of retinol deficiency. The subjects included in groups b to e did not show any significant difference in t heir urine chemistry although oxalate excretion was slightly but not s ignificantly higher in comparison to controls. None of them showed rad iological evidence of urinary stones. Thus, our results do not support an association between retinol deficiency and urolithiasis in the pop ulation studied.