Calcium and vitamin D supplements administration in patients with nephrolithiasis; an observational prospective study

Introduction: Calcium and vitamin D supplements intake have been linked to nephrolithiasis as around 80% of kidney stones contain calcium. However, studies regarding these supplements administration yielded conflicting data. Objectives: In this study we aimed to assess calcium and vitamin D supplements intake and the presence of significant association with nephrolithiasis among Lebanese patients. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted at nephrology clinics selected randomly from all Lebanese districts over a 3-month period. Data analysis was conducted with SPSS version 22. Results: The mean age of the 550 studied participants was 42.12±15.59 years with 51.5% males and 48.5% females. Almost half of the participants had a history of kidney stones (53.8%). Calcium and vitamin D supplements were utilized by 19.6% and 18.2%, respectively. Calcium and vitamin D supplements intake were not associated significantly with history of kidney stones (calcium: 10.4% versus 9.3%, P = 0.446; vitamin D: 9.1% versus 9.1%, P = 0.231). Conclusion: This study revealed that supplemental calcium and vitamin D intake among nephrolithiasis patients had no significant associations with history of kidney stones. Those patients, especially those taking calcium supplements should be counseled to monitor regularly their calcium levels to avoid hypercalciuria and consequent stone formation.