Abstract:
Crystalluria has become one of the most vital biomarkers in urinalysis in detecting several disease
conditions. It has been reported that urinary tract infections (UTI) may be the presenting sign of
Urolithiasis in children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify and estimate the
different types of crystals in the urine samples collected from UTI suspected children who admitted
to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for children, Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was
conducted using 400 children belong to age<12 years suspected with UTI. The participants
included 242 males and 158 females. The urine samples were collected prior to start antibiotics.
Each sample was examined macroscopically and centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 5 minutes. The urine
sediment was examined under the light microscope and different crystal types were identified and
counted at x40 magnification. Out of 400 samples 82 samples (82/400) were positive for
crystalluria. The crystal types present were uric acid, calcium oxalate, triple phosphate,
ammonium biuate and ammonium urate. None of the samples showed abnormal crystal types. The
distribution of each crystal type was as follow; uric acid 25/82, calcium oxalate 34/82, triple
phosphate 12/82, ammonium biuate 7/82 and ammonium urate 4/82. The quantity of crystals per
mL of urine was ranged as follow; uric acid 850-130,000, calcium oxalate 350- >250,000, triple
phosphate 650-6,000, ammonium biurate and ammonium urate were presented in clumps.
