ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Nephrology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1604511
First Retrospective Study on Pediatric Nephrocalcinosis in Syria: Clinical Symptoms and Causes
Provisionally accepted
- 1Damascus University, Damascus, Damascus, Syria
- 2Faculty of Medicine of Damascus University, Damascus, Damascus, Syria
- 3Tartous University, Tartous, Syria
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Background: Nephrocalcinosis is the deposition of calcium oxalate and phosphate in the kidneys. It is often asymptomatic and diagnosed via ultrasound. Symptoms may include hematuria or sterile leukocyturia. Based on echogenicity, it is classified as medullary or cortical. Although it may pose a problem in developing countries, it has not been adequately studied in the Middle East.Objectives: To investigate the clinical manifestations and outcomes of nephrocalcinosis for the first time in Syria. And to establish a primary database for such studies in Syria and the Middle East region.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a single pediatric nephrology department of a tertiary university hospital in Damascus, Syria. We collected the medical records of patients with a primary diagnosis of nephrocalcinosis between January 2014 and January 2018. All clinical, laboratory examination, treatment, and follow-up information were collected and analyzed.Results: Among 75 patients Forty-one (54%) were males and 34 (46%) were females, the median age at presentation was 18 months. The most presenting symptom was incidentally found in 39% of cases, then failure to thrive in 32% of cases, and recurrent urinary tract infections in 10.5% of cases. The most common leading cause of nephrocalcinosis was metabolic disorders in 68% followed by tubulopathy in 20%. The cause of nephrocalcinosis remained unknown in 8%, and renal malformations for 4% of the cases. During the study, five children developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and fifteen children died from different causes.This is the first Syrian study to review nephrocalcinosis cases. The most common leading cause of NC was metabolic disorders, most importantly, the patient with progressive nephrocalcinosis must be convinced that a high daily fluid intake is the most valuable therapeutic option.
Keywords: Nephrocalcinosis, Children, Failure to Thrive, Renal disease, Retrospective study, Middle East
Received: 02 Apr 2025; Accepted: 11 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ghanem, Hassan, Swideah and Wannous. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hadeel Ghanem, Damascus University, Damascus, Damascus, Syria
Mostafa Jaber Hassan, Tartous University, Tartous, Syria
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