Epidemiology of Urolithiasis with Sex and Working Status Stratification Based on the National Representative Cohort in Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to estimate the annual prevalence and incidence of urolithiasis stratified by work status based on a large nationwide sample. METHODS: This study used data from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort from 2002 to 2015. The prevalence and incidence of urolithiasis were estimated based on work status and gender stratification. The risk of urolithiasis among workers was calculated using age-standardized incidence ratio with stratification of work type. RESULTS: The prevalence of urolithiasis was significantly higher in workers than in non-workers, especially men, during the follow-up period. The total estimated number of urolithiasis cases was 41,086 and the overall incidence of urolithiasis was 0.3%. The age-standardized incidence ratio of urolithiasis was significantly higher among the total workers (1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–1.16), self-employed workers (1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.11), and paid workers (1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.17–1.21) than among the non-working population. CONCLUSIONS: Workers, especially paid workers and men, were vulnerable to urolithiasis. Further studies are required to investigate the effects of working conditions on urolithiasis.