THE EFFECT OF GEOGRAPHYC AND CLIMATIC FACTORS ON THE HOSPITALITY BURDEN DUE TO KIDNEY STONES IN SPAIN 1997-2022. DATASET

Kidney stone disease (KSD) incidence is rising in the last decades becoming a worldwide problem. Besides dietary factors, climatic conditions have also been pointed out as possible reasons for explaining it.

Our objective is to describe the hospitality burden due to KSD across the different regions of Spain and relate them to the different climatic conditions.

METHODS: An observational retrospective study was conducted during the period 1997-2022 by analyzing hospitalization records from the minimum basic data set. Data have been related to climatic conditions (temperature, humidity, evaporation and solar radiation) collected from the Spanish meteorological agency.

RESULTS: A total of 980701 hospitalizations were collected, estimating a burden of 8.4 patients per 10000 inhabitants (CI95%: 8.4-8.4) in this period. A significant increasing trend with an annual percentage change of 2.14% (CI95%: 0.9-3.4), was observed in this period. Hospitalizations were higher in men 9.6 patients per 10000 inhabitants (CI95%: 9.6-9.7) than in women (8.2, CI95%: 8.2-8.3).

Humidity was the only factor that has reached a significant inverse correlation r=-0.26(CI95%: -0.26- -0.26), keeping itself as an independent factor when linear regression was applied. Temperature, radiation, and evaporation didn´t reach the statistical significance. A higher risk of hospitalizations for KSD in spring (OR: 1.1; CI95%: 1.1-1.1) has also been observed.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms a significant rising trend of KSD hospitalizations with significant differences across the different regions that could be partially explained by changes in the humidity values. Temperature, solar radiation or evaporation doesn´t seem to show any influence on the KSD hospitalizations.