Can Children Get Kidney Stones

Did you know that children, even infants, can get kidney stones? While it used to not be very common in the kids, doctors are finding kidney stones increasingly more than common. Kidney stones can crusade unbearable hurting, and can exist hard to go rid of. The all-time communication for dealing with stones is to attempt to avert them in the get-go identify. As a nurse practitioner in the Partitioning of Pediatric Urology at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, I'll provide a footling background on kidney stones and tips on kidney rock prevention.

Don't Let Kidney Stones Affect Your Child Kidney stones are pocket-size, hard deposits of material that come up together to grade niggling "rocks" in the urinary tract. They are most often composed of minerals and acid salts such as calcium, oxalate, uric acid and phosphate. When these materials clump together, they form tiny hard clumps that tin range in size from a few millimeters to bigger than a marble. The hard stones don't just form in the kidneys, they can class anywhere forth the urinary tract including the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and bladder.

Stones can sit down and grow in the urinary tract for months without causing whatsoever pain or discomfort. However, when they start to motion they can be painful or get stuck and cause a blockage so the urine cannot pass through the urinary tract.What are Kidney Stones?

Causes and Symptoms of Kidney Stones (Tweet this)

There are multiple causes and contributing factors to kidney stone formation. Here are the principal causes of kidney stones:

Bacteria from urinary tract infections
Certain medications
Dehydration
Genetics
Little to no practise
Metabolic disorders
Problems with formation of urinary tract inside the trunk

The four main symptoms of kidney stones are:

Don't Let Kidney Stones Affect Your Child

Blood in the urine
Nausea and vomiting
Pain in the stomach area, back and groin
Painful urination

If y'all are concerned your kid has or may accept kidney stones, it is very important to talk to their pediatrician. Your child's pediatrician may recommend referral to a pediatric urologist to discuss stone removal or a pediatric nephrologist to discuss ongoing management and rock prevention. If your child is suffering from intense hurting with nausea and vomiting, then they should be taken to the emergency department (ED) for prompt evaluation. Note: If your child passed a kidney stone and you find it, place information technology in a plastic bag and take it to their pediatrician.

How are Kidney Stones Treated?

Treatment depends on where the stones are located in your child'south urinary tract, the size of the stones and how many stones formed inside your child. Sometimes a kidney stone can laissez passer by itself (east.g. when your child urinates). If there are too many stones or the stone is too large, your kid may not be able to simply urinate it out. If this happens, a pediatric urologist volition consider removing the stones past a multifariousness of methods:

Using lasers to break apart the kidney stone in an operating room.
Putting a tiny tube, chosen a scope, upwardly your child's urethra and through the urinary tract to pull out the stone
Inserting a tube directly through your child's skin and into the kidney to notice, break downward and remove the stone
Undergoing surgery (this is non very common)

Lifestyle Choices help with Kidney Rock Prevention (Tweet this)

Drink a lot of water. Your child's urine should be almost clear. If your child's urine is night, the more at take a chance they are to form kidney stones. Talk to your child's pediatrician about how much water they need to drink each solar day.
Avoid certain foods. Talk to your child's pediatrician or a nephrologist about foods to add or avert in your child'southward diet. This volition depend on the type of stones the child is at risk for forming in their urinary tract.
Salubrious diet and regular exercise. Help your kid lead a good for you lifestyle to prevent obesity, which is also a adventure factor for stone formation.

I hope you learned something new most kidney stones and feel prepared to assistance manage and prevent kidney stones from affecting your kid.