Kidney stones are not fun. Typically, adults are the victims, but doctors are seeing more and more children and teenagers suffering from the condition, especially during summer months.
Harrison is a very active 12-year-old about to start seventh grade. Five years ago, Harrison had a major scare.
“I just looked and there was blood in my urine. It’s not like I had pains or anything.” said Harrison.
“Yeah, freaked out.” Said his mother. “So, we made him an appointment with the physician that day.”
An ultrasound showed kidney stones. Not in need of surgery, Harrison increased his water intake and began taking a pill for citrate, which according to doctors significantly reduces the formation of all common types of kidney stones.
Dr. Christa Filak a pediatrician with Children’s Memorial Hermann said, “We’re starting to see adult problems kind of trickle down to the pediatric population. And so, kids just aren’t necessarily getting as much exercise as we want them to. They’re drinking as much water as we want them to. They’re not eating the right foods as far as, you know, more fast food, less fresh food.”
Dr. Filak said often times children who have kidney stones complain of a belly ache or see blood in their urine. Teens who have kidney stones will experience pain, the primary symptom adults experience.
Shante Daniels is a busy mom of three. “Kidney stones were far more painful than labor ever was.”
Shante has had three bouts of kidney stones. The first was when she was pregnant with her first child. Shante is active and overall healthy. She says she drinks plenty of water and eats water too, which comes from fruits and vegetables. She does not consume alcohol and follows a mostly plant-based diet.
Dr. Evan Lacefield is Shane’s urologist. “Kidney stones are just a buildup of crystals that most people will make in their urine doesn’t matter as long as your urine is pretty dilute, those crystals will just pass through.”
Dr. Lacefield said people who live in the southern part of the country… including Texas are much more likely to develop kidney stones. This area has been deemed the kidney stone belt. “Three things that people should be doing. Number one, drinking more fluids. The water is great. It doesn’t have to be water. Number two, limiting the sodium in your diet, the salt, your it’s hard to get away from. Definitely not adding table salt to your food. And then number three is things with citric acid. So fresh fruits and vegetables, lemon water, lemonade, anything citrus, you will help prevent kidney stones.”
Treatment for kidney stones really depends on the size of the stone and its location. Dr. Lacefield says it used to be men were more susceptible to kidney stones, but that’s no longer the case, women appear to be catching up. Either way, not fun. And doctors say they have seen a rise in cases of kidney stones during the summer months, pointing to a correlation between the heat and dehydration.