Stones in the kidney during childhood

Kidney stones are said to hurt like a childbirth, although today it is their births do not hurt. We are used to seeing them in adults, but in the pediatric age they can also be seen. We talk about the kidney stones. Next we will reveal some of its characteristics. Why kidney stones appear in childre

Kidney stones are said to hurt like a childbirth, although today it is their births do not hurt. We are used to seeing them in adults, but in the pediatric age they can also be seen. We talk about the kidney stones. Next we will reveal some of its characteristics.

Why kidney stones appear in children

Regarding their origin, there are stones that appear spontaneously, others are secondary to abnormalities in the shape of the urinary tract, infections or metabolic disorders (among them, highlights idiopathic hypercalciuria, entity that presents with an increase in the excretion of calcium through urine). Obesity, sedentary lifestyle and heat (especially if the child does not adequately replenish the loss of fluids by sweating with water) favor their appearance.

Up to 50% of the cases there is a family component. That is, some component of the family has had some similar problem.

Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of kidney stones in childhood

From a clinical point of view, the most important manifestation is pain. It is a very intense pain, located on both sides, and radiating to the abdomen. It is described as 'exasperating' (the child changes incessantly from position), and associates with a vegetative procession of vomiting and cold sweat. The movement of the stone produces small erosions on the renal path, so the child bleeds. This bleeding is often evident in the urine.

The diagnosis can be established by the clinic, and to document it we can resort to a urinalysis (in which we will see an increased number of red blood cells) and an imaging test (ultrasound, abdominal x-ray or tomography).

For treatment, it is essential to hydrate the child (orally or intravenously, if he is very nauseous) and provide analgesia. In complex cases, before voluminous calculations, it is necessary to resort to surgery. The calculations secondary to specific metabolic diseases require an individualized preventive treatment.