Kidney Stones in Children

31 Oct

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are common to adults who have sedentary life and unhealthy lifestyle habits. But children also suffer from kidney stones disease, although a child suffering from kidney stones it’s a different story than an adult with kidney stones.

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Because children are more physically active than adults they are generally less prone to kidney stones. Unfortunately over the years, there has been a constant increase in the number of children with this disease. The reason could be, more and more kids now are living sedentary lives and spend a lot of time in front of the TV or computer. Nowadays kids also eat foods that are high in protein, calcium, and sodium.

Kidney stones in kids

According to medical studies, the children who are prone to developing kidney stones are those that suffer from underlying medical conditions which increases their risk of developing stones early in their lives.

If parents want to understand how to deal with kidney stones afflicting their kids, they must first understand everything about the kidney stones disease. Even having a broad understanding of the condition can help parents determine possible causes, identify symptoms, and act quickly to the child in pain.

Like in adults, also in children there are different types of stones, which can be developed in a body’s system. They can either be “calcium oxalate” which is the most common and are caused by too much presence of calcium in the urine, the “struvite stones,” “uric acid stones,” and “cystine stones.” These types vary depending on the levels of the minerals found and their characteristics.

To know that their children are suffering from kidney stones, parents must be familiar with kidney stones’ symptoms such as abdominal or back pain, blood in the urine or hematuria, vomiting or nausea, and the often need to urinate. In younger kids, these symptoms aren’t as easily recognized as in older kids or adults. Because of that, the kid needs to undergo laboratory evaluation and tests.

Children Getting Kidney Stones More Often, Doctors Say

Since kidney stones is not common among children, especially to younger ones, it is a must to identify the risk factors present such as:

– possible history of the kidney stones which makes children more prone to the condition in the future. (Studies show that kids who have history of kidney stones are likely to suffer from the same problem in the next 10 to 20 years of his or her life.);

– low fluid—especially water—intake because it affects the ideal amount of urine that should be released daily. (If there is lesser water or fluid intake, the chances of developing kidney stones are much higher because there will be more concentration of substances that leads to faster kidney stone formation.);

– amount of diet, especially those high in animal protein such as beef, pork, lamb, or chicken are likely to develop kidney stones because they have higher concentration of protein which is one of the primary causes of kidney stones. (Experts say that children who consume too much protein are at risk in developing “calcium oxalate stones” along with problems in terms of intestinal absorption.);

– having a ketogenic diet which involves a minimal amount of carbohydrates that directly affects the levels of mineral intake;

– experiencing cystic fibrosis;

– suffering from urinary tract abnormalities like dysfunction of the bladder or the kidneys;

– some inherited disorders from the parents; and

– undergoing medications such as “furosemide,” “allopurinol,” and “acetazolamide” which are known to promote formation of urine crystals that leads to the formation of kidney stones.

More about Kidney Stones and Kids:

Children’s Urologist Treats Kidney Stones in Kids

Children’s Urologist treats kidney stones in kids: Dr. Hans Pohl describes an increase in kidney stones in children and how to treat them.

Parents! Rise in Kiddie Kidney Stones Due to Salty Foods

“I thought older men get kidney stones, not kids,” Mother of 11 year-old Tessa Cesario, aspiring ballerina, who was diagnosed with kidney stones last February. Why kidney stones when you thought that it was a middle-age problem?

Healthy Food & Healthy Living by Dr. Ayala

A recent article by Laurie Tarkan in the New York Times reports on the alarming rise in the incidence of kidney stones not just in adults, but also in children.

Kidney Stones in Kids

However, his father also has kidney stones so guess there is a genetic strain. I learnt soemthing surprising that excess calcium can cause kidney stones. Now my question is how can one prevent it, especially in kids?