Comorbidity Patterns Among Patients Diagnosed with Sialolithiasis: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background/

Objectives

Sialolithiasis is a common disorder of the major salivary glands characterized by the formation of salivary stones, known as sialoliths. It is predominantly observed in patients in their fourth to sixth decades of life. Several potential factors have been associated with the development of sialolithiasis, including obesity, smoking, medication use, and several systemic diseases such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Despite extensive research into the pathogenesis of sialolithiasis, it remains elusive. Therefore, this study aims to explore the characteristics of sialolithiasis among patients residing in Saudi Arabia and to detect the possible role of systemic disorders in the development of sialolithiasis.

Methods

This study included 375 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of sialolithiasis between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2024, at the National Guard Health Affairs centers in Saudi Arabia. Demographic information, body mass index (BMI), presence of systemic disorders (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, asthma, cancer), and the age at diagnosis of each disease were collected for data analysis.

Results

A total of 55.5% of the patients were male, with a mean age of 39.8 and a mean BMI of 28. Dyslipidemia represented the most prevalent systemic condition (32.9%), followed by diabetes mellitus (23.5%) and hypertension (20.3%). Moreover, 74.4% and 74.2% of the patients developed hypertension and diabetes mellitus before sialolithiasis, respectively. Furthermore, dyslipidemia was associated with a higher risk profile compared with diabetes mellitus and other systemic disorders.

Conclusions

This exploratory study indicates that the incidence pattern of sialolithiasis among both genders likely depends on lifestyle factors and other underlying systemic conditions. Elevated BMI may be a contributing characteristic, and the development of systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus could be linked to the formation of salivary stones. Furthermore, these findings support a multifactorial pathophysiology of sialolithiasis. The aforementioned factors may play a role in the formation of salivary stones through hyposalivation, whether disease-related or medication-induced hyposalivation, potentially serving as a common mechanism.