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Kidney Stones on the Rise in Children and Teens
Incidences of kidney stones are rising among children and teens, especially young girls.
New Cases of Kidney Stones
Kidney stones, hard deposits of minerals and salts that can get caught in the urinary tract, are now occurring in younger people, particularly among teenage girls, new data shows.
Kidney stones (also known as nephrolithiasis) are a metabolic disorder, occurring when minerals, such as calcium, oxalate and phosphorus accumulate in urine and form hard yellowish crystals. Some stones make their way out of the urinary tract with no issue, but others can get stuck, blocking the flow of urine and causing severe pain and bleeding.
While unclear as to why this is happening, experts speculate that a combination of factors are to blame, including diets high in ultra processed foods, increased use of antibiotics early in life, and climate change causing more cases of dehydration.
Research published in the “Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology,” found that the incidence of kidney stone disease rose 16 percent from 1997 to 2012 with 15 to 19-year-olds experiencing the greatest increase within this age group. Kidney stone incidence was 52 percent higher among girls and women.
Experts believe that children’s worsening diets may play a role. High amounts of sodium from potato chips, sports drinks and packaged meals can force extra minerals into the urine that can clump into kidney stones. It is especially likely if the child does not drink enough water or drinks too many sweetened beverages high in corn syrup.
Hotter summers may also cause more kidney stones. The hotter and more humid it is, the more you sweat and less you urinate, allowing minerals to bond in the kidneys and urinary tract. Children are especially vulnerable to heat.
Children who develop a stone have about a 50 percent chance of developing another one within five to seven years, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Kidney Stone Symptoms
About 10 percent of people in the United States will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Symptoms of kidney stones can include:
- A consistent need to urinate
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
- Irritability, especially in younger children
- Pink, brown or red blood in the urine
Symptoms can sometimes be “more nonspecific” in children, especially younger ones.
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This entry was posted on July 19th, 2023 at 01:36:00 pm by BlogMe@iaatpa.net (IAA) and is filed under Kidney Stones, Acute Falccid Myelitis (AFM).