Ramadan fasting and rates of admissions for renal colic due to urolithiasis: a retrospective case–control study

Objective The impact of Ramadan fasting on the prevalence of renal colic (RC) remains controversial. This current study aimed to assess the correlation between Ramadan fasting, prevalence of RC and the rate of urgent endoscopic interventions due to urolithiasis. Methods This retrospective case–control study enrolled adult patients with a primary diagnosis of RC secondary to urolithiasis admitted to the emergency department during the years 2009–2019. The prevalence of RC and the rate of urgent urological interventions during Ramadan were compared with the pre- and post-Ramadan months in fasting Muslims and non-fasting non-Muslim patients. Results A total of 2781 patients with RC were included: 1014 (36.5%) were fasting Muslim and 1767 (63.5%) were non-fasting non-Muslim patients. No significant increase in RC admissions or urgent double J stent (DJS) insertions were observed between pre-Ramadan and Ramadan among fasting Muslims and non-fasting non-Muslim patients. However, fasting Muslims exhibited a significant increase of RC admissions post-Ramadan compared with Ramadan. Conclusions There was no correlation between increased RC admissions or urgent DJS insertions when fasting Muslims were compared with non-fasting non-Muslim patients during Ramadan. There were increased RC admissions during the post-Ramadan month, which might indicate a delayed effect of fasting on RC.