Healthy Kids: Pediatric kidney stones are a growing trend



Healthy Kids: Pediatric kidney stones are a growing trend

November 01, 2012 12:15 am  •  By Dr. Anand V. Palagiri Mercy Children’s Hospital

When most people think of kidney stones, they think of adults. However, in recent years, there’s been an increase in the incidence of kidney stones in children.

Studies conducted from 2002 to 2007 showed kidney stone disease was responsible for one of every 685 pediatric admissions. This was up from one in 1,000. Kidney stones most commonly occur in children 10–19 years old.

Why is this happening? Along with rising obesity rates in America, several studies have shown that morbidly obese children excrete more oxalate in their urine, predisposing them to forming kidney stones.

In addition to obesity, our children rarely drink the amount of water they should. We live in a society where water has to be flavored or colored for our children to drink it. Coupled with climate changes due to cyclical weather trends and global warming, children are often relatively dehydrated. This contributes to stone formation.

Our diets also contribute. Studies show an increased consumption of dark-colored soft drinks, sweetened drinks and sodium intake by children is linked to stone formation. In children 6–11, increased sodium content in processed and restaurant foods has led to a significant rise in consumption. ( not just salty chips and French fries, but also processed foods like sandwich meats; canned soups; packaged meals; and even sports drinks like Gatorade *)

Most children with kidney stones have vague abdominal pain that often prompts a trip to the emergency room and advanced imaging studies, such as CT scans, to make a diagnosis. Other symptoms include burning upon urination, intense scrotal/labial pain, passage of visible blood in the urine, intense back pain or severe nausea and vomiting.

Once a stone is formed in a child, it can be difficult to pass due to the small size of the urinary tract. There are a couple of options to treat this problem.

If the stone is unable to pass, minimally invasive surgical techniques to remove it, in collaboration with a pediatric anesthesiologist, are available. One method is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy or ESWL. With ESWL, the stone is pulverized into sand using shock waves and is much easier to pass.

If ESWL is not appropriate, endoscopic approaches may be useful. With endoscopy, a small telescope is passed through the urinary tract to extract the stone.

While pediatric stone disease is, unfortunately, on the rise and there appear to be many possible contributing factors, it can be treated effectively and safely in a “kid-friendly” manner.

And remember, the solution to pollution is dilution. Have your children drink plenty of water!



A common misconception is that people with kidney stones should avoid calcium. In fact, dairy products have been shown to reduce the risk of stones, because the dietary calcium binds with oxalate before it is absorbed by the body, preventing it from getting into the kidneys.

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Pediatric kidney stones are a growing trend Name__________________

1) What age do kidney stones most occur in kids?

2) Why is this happening? List 3 reasons:

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3) How diets contributing to the problem? List 3 ways:

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4) How would you know if you were suffering from a kidney stone? list 7 symptoms of kidney stones:

5) Why are the stones difficult to pass?

6) What are 2 treatment options?

7) What is the “solution to pollution is _______________________.”

Pick either 8 or 9 to research and answer:

8) Which drink is better for after workouts? Gatorade or Chocolate milk? 3 reasons for answer:

List website used:____________________________________________

9) Is Diet soda better or worse than regular soda? Website used:________________________________

3 reasons for your answer:

Drink Comparisons Select 3 other drinks from box for your group to compare nutrition labels.

| |2% milk | | | |

|Serving size | | | | |

|Calories | | | | |

|Sodium mg | | | | |

|*Potassium mg | | | | |

|Total carb. g: | | | | |

|Sugar g: | | | | |

|How many teaspoon? | | | | |

|% of calcium | | | | |

|Other % nutrients more than 0% | | | | |

| | | | | |

|Fooducate grade: | | | | |

*Potassium: regulates your body’s fluid levels. Counteracts effects of sodium in body.

Each kitchen has 3 drinks. Complete the chart for nutrition information.

How many servings are in your bottle? ________

Calculate the following per BOTTLE (because most do not drink ½ or 1/3 of bottle.)

Potassium: regulates your body’s fluid levels. Counteracts effects of sodium in body.

**Wash hands before measuring sugar.

Sugar: 4 grams = 1 tsp. take grams and divide by 4. This will be the number of tsp. sugar to measure. Put in bag. Label.

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