An increased incidence of osteoporotic fractures after renal transplantation was found in diabetic and female patients. The mechanism behind bone fragility in IDDM is multifactorial and despite a restored renal function bone disease may progress, and is probably enhanced by the immunosuppressive treatment.
Renal tubular function was studied in 318 consecutive recurrent renal stone formers. Impaired acidification capacity was found in 19% of the patients, and tubular proteinuria in 13% of the patients. Most of the patients with defective acidification of the urine had the incomplete form of renal tubular acidosis (RTA), proximal and distal defects being equally common. The incidence of impaired acidification was much higher in the female (38%) than in the male (13%) stone formers. A further analysis of the clinical picture in patients with acidification defects revealed a more severe stone disease than among other stone formers. Characteristic findings were an early onset, multiple recurrences with an increased need for surgery. Stone analyses showed a high frequency of calcium phosphate stones. Investigations of renal tubular functions appear to be a valuable adjunct in the evaluation of recurrent renal stone disease.
Prophylactic treatment with magnesium hydroxide ws instituted in 56 consecutive cases with renal calcium stones. The patients had been investigated previously with regard to the magnesium metabolism. The urinary magnesium excretion increased promptly and remained on a higher level during treatment. No changes were observed in the serum or urinary calcium concentrations. Most patients have undergone treatment for at least 2 years and 45 have been free of recurrences of formations of new stones. The mean stone episode rate during treatment was 0.03 stones per year compared to 0.8 stones per year before treatment was instituted. The natural history of stone disease also was followed in 34 patients with stones who had received no prophylactic therapy and 15 have experienced recurrences after 2 years. Therefore, in comparison, treatment with magnesium hydroxide appeared to reduce the recurrence rate. Apart from minor gastrointestinal discomfort no adverse effects were observed during treatment.
Magnesium is a known inhibitor of the formation of calcium oxalate crystals in the urine and was proposed for prophylactic treatment in renal stone disease as early as the 17th and 18th centuries. We have treated 55 patients with recurrent renal calcium stone disease without signs of magnesium deficiency (normal serum magnesium, urinary magnesium, intracellular magnesium in muscle biopsies, gastrointestinal absorption of 28Mg, and magnesium loading test) from our outpatient stone clinic for up to four years with 500 mg Mg2+, in the form of Mg(OH)2, daily. The mean stone episode rate before therapy was 0.8 stones/year/patient. Forty-three recurrent renal calcium stone-formers without medical therapy served as controls. Serum magnesium increased initially but after one year returned to the pretreatment level. Urinary magnesium excretion increased promptly and remained elevated during the follow-up period. The urinary calcium excretion remained unchanged. The magnesium/calcium ratio in the urine increased and approached a value earlier found in healthy subjects without stone disease. Urinary citrate increased on therapy when analysed after three years of treatment. The mean stone episode rate decreased from 0.8 to 0.08 stones/year on treatment and 85% of the patients remained free of recurrence during follow-up, whereas 59% of the patients in the control group continued their stone formation. Side effects were few. Magnesium treatment in renal calcium stone disease is effective with few side effects. No clinical signs of magnesium excess were observed.
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