Exploration of Associated Risk Factors and Development of Predictive Models for Individuals with Uric Acid Stones in the Upper Urinary System: A Retrospective Investigation

In clinical practice, the prevalence of upper urinary tract uric acid stones is increasing. This research seeks to pinpoint the factors that contribute to the development of upper urinary tract uric acid stones and create a predictive model for this condition. In this study, we retrospectively analysed the clinical records of 267 patients diagnosed with urinary calculi from our hospital's Department of Urology from January 2019 to May 2024. Patients were categorised into two groups: The uric acid stone in the upper urinary tract group (n = 43) and the other types of stones in the upper urinary tract group (n = 224). We collected general clinical characteristics, urinary test results, liver and kidney function parameters and glucose and lipid metabolism indicators for multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The uric acid stones in the upper urinary tract group showed a substantially higher average body mass index (BMI), a greater proportion of obese patients and more patients with diabetes than the other types of stones in the upper urinary tract group (p < 0.05). Conversely, the urine pH and total protein levels in the former were lower than those in the latter. Moreover, the levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), uric acid (UA), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in the former were higher than those in the latter (p < 0.05). Logistic regression identified BMI, BUN, SCr, UA, FBG and TC as risk factors for uric acid stone formation, with urine pH as a protective factor (p < 0.05). ROC analysis confirmed the high predictive value of these factors (p < 0.05). BMI, obesity, diabetes, markers of renal function and the indicators of glucose and lipid metabolism play crucial roles as risk factors in the prediction of upper urinary tract uric acid stones. Regularly monitoring these parameters can aid in the prompt detection of upper urinary tract uric acid stones.