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Relationship Between Milk Adulterated With Melamine and the Appearance of Renal Stones in a Childhood Population: A Review of the Literature of the Cases That Occurred in the People's Republic of China

Abstract:

Introduction: Melamine is a chemical substance used in the production of resins. When melamine is added to milk, nitrogen concentration increases, which suggest an increase the amount of false proteins and consequently causing kidney diseases in some population subgroups. The objective of this study is to document the possible connection in between adulterated industrial milk with melamine and the appearance of kidney stones in children under 12 years old by reviewing cases occurred in the People's Republic of China. Material and methods: A literature review was carried out on articles published on dated between 2005-2010, and an extensive analysis was made on the results found. Results: A total of 20 articles were reviewed, of which 11 met the criteria for inclusion, There were 9 cross-sectional studies, one follow-up study and a case-control study. Four studies calculated odds ratio (OR) in their analysis to evaluate the relative risk of having stones in those children exposed to melamine formula. In the case-control study, children exposed to melamine formula were 5.17 times as likely to have kidney stones as children exposed to a non-melamine formula (95% confidence interval, 3.28-8.14; P< 001). Conclusions: Melamine adulteration in milk is a preventable public health issue which suggests the establishing of greater control measures and the implementation of food regulations by the food industry and Health and Food Institutions. © 2012 Asociación Española de Dietistas-Nutricionistas.