Studies of Bladder Stone Disease in Thailand

Abstract

Bladder stone of children, a distinct form of urolithiasis common in Europe and the Mediterranean area until the end of the 19th century, persists today in portions of Asia and the Middle East. In Thailand, the disease occurs in the North and Northeast regions largely among the Lao-Thai ethnic group. Since bladder stone is considered to be a nutritional disease, regional differences in Thai life and culture, pertinent to nutritional states and nutrition practices, are briefly reviewed. Extensive interregional studies are not available; however, it is known that the Lao-Thai eat glutinous rice garnished with fermented, uncooked fish, while the Central Plain Thai eat nonglutinous rice usually with a greater diversity of other edibles. Nutrition studies have established that diets of adult villagers in Northeast Thailand are more deficient in animal protein and vitamin A than groups sampled in other regions. Little information is available comparing the nutrition of infants and pregnant and lactating women in different regions of Thailand.