Considering potassium citrate ability to induce urine alkalization, it may be useful in the treatment and prevention of renal stone formation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potassium citrate preventive effect on recurrence and also expulsion of calcium oxalate renal stones residual fragment.
The study was made on 96 adult patients who referred to Shahid Faghihi hospital affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and underwent surgical intervention with detected and cleared calcium oxalate renal stones (more than 60% of stones component). The patients had no urinary tract infection or urogenital anomalies. Four weeks following treatment of urolithiasis, patients cleared from the renal stones (n=58) and patients with urinary residual stones (n=38) were divided to two groups based on age and gender. One sub-group received 40 mEq of oral potassium citrate daily for one year while the other observed. All 4 sub-groups encouraged to high fluid intake with low salt, low oxalate diet.
A significant difference in recurrence rate of renal stone was seen in patients of untreated sub-group (25.86%) with treated sub-group (1.72%) in stone free group. In the patients with residual urinary fragments, a significant decrease in stone fragments in treated subgroup (72.22%) and untreated sub-group (33.33%) was reported.
The findings of this study showed that administration of potassium citrate led to significantly declined recurrence rate of calcium oxalate renal stone.Also it has a good expulsive effect on residual fragments.