Publication:

Dietary and fluid intake habits in nephrolithiasis patients presented to Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad

Background Nephrolithiasis is the 3rd most common clinical problem worldwide. The dietary and fluid intake factors play an important role in its causation. The present study was conducted to determine the dietary and fluid intake habits in patients presented with nephrolithiasis to Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad.

Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 140 patients by convenient sampling. The study was carried out at the Urology ward of Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad from June 2017 to June 2018. In this study, a self-maintained structured questionnaire was used to interview 140 patients admitted in both male and female urology ward of Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad. The questionnaire covered the fluid intake and dietary habits of patients with relevance to determinants such as the number of glasses per day, level of education, physical activity, the occupation of patients and source of drinking water. Data was collected through questionnaires and was analyzed using SPSS-23.

Results Total of 140 patients were enrolled, 80 (57.1%) were males whereas 60 (42.9%) were females. Most of them, i.e. 116 (82.9%) were from rural areas, 132 (94.3%) belonged to poor socioeconomic status, 60 (42.9%) patients used the tap water for drinking and 80 (57.1%) had vegetables in their daily diet. Most 100 (71.4%) of them were illiterate, 92 (65.7%) working indoor and 60 (42.9%) drinking 5 to 10 glasses per day.

Conclusions The study highlights the poor dietary and fluid intake habits of patients presenting with nephrolithiasis.