Temporal Trend of Newly Diagnosed Incidence, Medical Utilization, and Costs for Pediatric Urolithiasis, 1998-2007: A Nationwide Population-based Study in Taiwan

Objective To investigate the trends of newly diagnosed incidence, medical utilization, and medical costs for pediatric urolithiasis in Taiwan. Materials and Methods The present study uses the National Health Insurance Research Database, which contains the data of all medical benefit claims from the individuals enrolled in the national and single-payer insurance program in Taiwan. The National Health Insurance covered 22,717,053 enrollees, nearly 99% of Taiwan's population. Our analysis includes all subjects aged  Results A total of 1474 patients aged  Conclusion This is the first nationwide population-based study to indicate the declining trends in newly diagnosed rate, medical care visits, and medical costs for pediatric urolithiasis. These findings help to quantify and establish the burden of pediatric urolithiasis. These findings help to quantify and establish the burden of medical care for pediatric urolithiasis and to further refine the medical policy.