Kidney stones are not only painful, but are also hard to deal with. For the most part, adults and older people are usually diagnosed with this condition, but you might be surprised to know that it's actually possible for children and even infants to have kidney stones.
Here's what you need to know about children and kidney stones:
How can children have kidney stones?
There are a lot of factors that can cause children to have kidney stones such as the following:
- Family history of having kidney stones
- Low water intake, or dehydration
- Repeated instances of UTI
- High sodium diet
- Obesity
- Lack of exercise
- Urinary tract problems
- Side effect of certain medications
Any of these factors can contribute to the risk that a child can have kidney stones.
What are the signs to look out for?
The main symptom of kidney stones is a strong, sharp, pain in the side of the body. The pain can also spread out to the belly, the groin, and the genitals. It can also be extremely painful, so it's important to get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.
Other signs of kidney stones in children can be pain while urinating, blood in the urine, frequent UTI, frequent urination, nausea or vomiting, and fever.
If your child shows any of these symptoms, it would be best to take them to a doctor for a diagnosis.
Ultrasounds are the most common ways for doctors to treat kidney stones, but sometimes a CT scan or an x-ray is also used.
How can it be treated?
There are various treatments that can be used when it comes to kidney stones, and it varies depending on the severity.
A form of treatment called Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) might sound scary, but all it is is that it uses sound waves to crush kidney stones inside the body. It's a painless form of treatment, and it's very effective in breaking up kidney stones.
For larger stones, surgery can sometimes be an option, but that is usually the last resort if the stones can't be treated through other means.
There are also medicines that doctors prescribe to help break up the kidney stones so that your children can pass it through their urine. However, that in itself can be a painful experience.
Doctors can also prescribe pain medication to children suffering from kidney stones in order to help alleviate the pain. The pain can sometimes become so severe that it can cause nausea and vomiting, so pain management is very important.
Lastly, the best thing to do when it comes to kidney stones would be to prevent them from happening in the first place. Make sure that your child has a healthy diet, and ensure that they're drinking lots of water so that there won't be any buildup of stones in their kidneys.
Source: cincinnatichildrens.org
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