TREATING children with kidney stones is usually by medication and observation ie giving kids pain medicine, and then waiting to see if the stones will pass out during urination.
No matter the size of these stones, pain is usually experienced sometimes to an extreme. These stones can be as small as a sugar granule or as large as a pearl. Most are no bigger than 3/5 cm in diameter which can eventually pass out on their own.
Other treatments
When a stone does not pass out normally, the doctor will anaesthetise the patient. Then he may thread a thin scope through the urinary tract to try to break up and remove the stone.
Shock-wave therapy that uses sound waves to break up the stone may also be used. If all else fails, there's surgery.
Sign of metabolic problems
Dr Barry Duel at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) in Los Angeles said kidney stones can be a sign of underlying metabolic problems that result in too much calcium in the urine.
Currently associate director of pediatric urology at CSMC, Dr Duel said in most cases children can appear healthy with no underlying disorders.
Because some metabolic problems can slow growth if untreated or lead to repeated bouts with kidney stones, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends metabolic testing for all children with kidney stones.
Prevention
- drinking enough fluids
- reducing salt intake by eating less processed food which tend to be higher in salt content.
Ensure your child drinks water regularly
Children tend not to drink enough water.
"They don't want to go to the bathroom at school; they don't have time, so they drink less," said Dr Alicia Neu, associate professor of pediatrics at John Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr Neu, who co-founded the pediatric stone clinic at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore and serves as its medical director, notes that children are likely to drink only once they are thirsty. But that might be a case of too little, too late especially for younger children who are generally very active or for older ones who are play sports.
"Drinking more water is the most important step in the prevention of kidney stones," says Dr Neu.
How much water?
"What I like to tell kids is that they should drink enough water to keep their pee almost clear," Dr Hatch said.
For children who have had one kidney stone, doctors sometimes recommend fresh-squeezed lemonade or other citrus juice, which can help keep the urine from forming stones.
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