Kidney stones are a common disease of the urinary system, mainly caused by metabolic disorders, foreign bodies in the urinary tract, urinary tract infections, water quality, and diet. The main reason for the formation of kidney stones in children is excessive intake of sugar, protein, or fat, as well as dehydration due to sweating during summer, which leads to reduced urination and the easy formation of crystalline substances in the urine, thereby forming stones.
Observation of Symptoms
Babies with kidney stones usually experience symptoms such as reduced urine output and difficulty urinating. After the baby develops kidney stones, it can easily lead to urinary tract infections, causing symptoms of reduced urine output and difficulty urinating.
If a baby's kidney stones become severe, symptoms such as edema and inability to urinate may occur. Some babies may also experience symptoms of hematuria. These are symptoms of acute renal failure, including fatigue, apathy, drowsiness, irritability, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, anemia, dysphagia, oral ulcers, gastrointestinal ulcers or bleeding, seizures, coma, and difficulty breathing.
For infants and young children with kidney stones, it is difficult to distinguish them solely from X-rays. If you suspect that your baby has kidney stones, it is recommended to do a bilateral kidney ultrasound, urinalysis, etc., to check for the presence of crystals in the baby's urine.
Prevention and Care
General treatment: Encourage the baby to drink more water and engage in appropriate physical activity, including relieving urinary tract obstruction and controlling infection. Fluid replacement increases urine output, promoting the excretion of stones from the body. Adjust the child's diet composition based on the type of stone and urine acidity. Drug treatment involves adjusting urine acidity, oral administration of 5% sodium bicarbonate solution, 10% sodium potassium citrate to alkalize urine, and adjusting medication dosage based on changes in urine pH. If it is cystine stones, maintain urine pH between 7 and 8; if it is uric acid stones, maintain urine pH between 6.2 and 6.8; for calcium oxalate stones, urine pH should be greater than 7; for calcium phosphate stones, oral administration of chloride acid to acidify urine and maintain urine pH below 6.5.
Treatment of Stones
Stones smaller than 5 millimeters can usually be passed through drug treatment. For larger stones, conservative treatment methods such as adjusting urine pH and promoting urination through fluid replacement can be used to dissolve and eliminate the stones. If conservative treatment is ineffective, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, or ureteroscopy can be performed to break up and remove the stones. For stones larger than 5 millimeters, surgical intervention may be necessary.
Dietary Regulation
1. Breastfeeding: The most scientific method to prevent infant kidney stones is still breastfeeding. If conditions permit, it is recommended for every mother to breastfeed for at least 6 months. Breast milk has the optimal calcium-phosphorus ratio, which is most suitable for the baby's growth and has the highest nutritional value.
2. Avoid excessive intake of cod liver oil: Cod liver oil is rich in vitamin D, which promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestinal mucosa and increases the excretion of calcium and phosphorus in the urine, making it easier to form sediment and kidney stones.
3. Increase calcium intake appropriately: Adequate calcium intake combines with oxalate and is excreted in the feces, reducing the absorption of calcium in the intestines and reducing the chance of stone formation. Therefore, drinking more milk does not increase the risk of kidney stones, but instead helps reduce the risk.
4. Reduce oxalate intake: Reduce the consumption of foods high in oxalate, such as spinach and tea; reduce sodium intake. The diet should be light, eat more potassium-rich foods such as bananas; reduce meat consumption and animal protein intake to reduce the chance of stone formation.
5. Adequate hydration: In addition to breastfeeding or formula feeding, it is necessary to provide adequate hydration for the baby. Otherwise, excessive pressure on the circulatory system can directly compress the kidneys and cause other kidney diseases. When preparing formula for the baby, it is best to use tap water. If there are issues with the tap water, it is necessary to improve the quality of the household drinking water. If the baby drinks mineral water for a long time, which contains a large amount of mineral elements, the baby's gastrointestinal digestion function is not yet fully developed, which can cause indigestion and kidney stones.
6. Limit sugar intake: The latest research by American scientists shows that high sugar intake can increase the risk of kidney stones. Therefore, it is important to limit the consumption of sweets.
7. Reduce intake of soy products: Soy products have high levels of oxalate and phosphate, which can fuse with calcium in the kidneys and form stones.
8. Be cautious about drinking milk before bedtime: For people with poor sleep quality, drinking a glass of milk before bedtime can help sleep. However, after sleep, urine output decreases and becomes more concentrated, leading to an increase in various substances in the urine. Drinking milk 2-3 hours after sleep is when calcium is excreted through the kidneys at its peak. A sudden increase in calcium in a short period of time can easily lead to stone formation. Therefore, patients with kidney stones should avoid drinking calcium-rich milk before bedtime.
9. Eat more black fungus: Black fungus is rich in various minerals and trace elements, which can have a strong chemical reaction on various stones, causing them to peel off, differentiate, dissolve, and be excreted from the body.
