Dealing With Kidney Stones in Children

Just as with any other health condition, when you are dealing with kidney stones in children, it is important that special care be taken. Children are generally smaller than adults and their bodies are less able to handle the trauma that conditions like this can cause. Although this condition is rare in children it does still happen, and there are a few things about kidney stones in children that you should know.

When Does it Happen?

There is really no set time for a child to develop kidney stones, but many of the problems associated with this condition in a child can actually be diagnosed before they are even born. This is done through prenatal testing and then once the child is born if there is a problem they are usually treated successful with medication or surgery.

Regardless of the specific treatment method that is used, it is critical the child's kidney stones be taken care of immediately, because they can be potentially life threatening if they are not.

Kidney Failure

Kidney failure is one of the biggest worries when it comes to kidney stones in children. Kidney failure occurs when the kidneys slow down – from kidney stones for instance – or when they stop properly filtering wastes from the body which can cause buildups of waste products and toxic substances in the blood.

There are two different types of kidney failure: acute kidney failure and chronic kidney failure. Acute kidney failure is most often due to bacterial infection, heart failure, or poisoning, while chronic kidney failure is much more serious and involves a deterioration of kidney function over time.

Symptoms and Treatment

When it comes to kidney stones in children it is important to understand that there are certain symptoms that a child will typically exhibit if they have developed kidney stones. This includes fever, swelling around the eyes, face or feet, significant increase in the frequency of urination, recurrence of nighttime bedwetting, blood in the urine, and high blood pressure.

Once a diagnosis has been made by your doctor you will then be able to move on and get appropriate treatment for the kidney stones in children. Of course the options here differ from that in the case of an adult and the doctor may suggest something as simple as getting the child to increase their intake of fluids, especially water.

They may also offer them mild pain medication to help with the pain for the meantime, and they may also prescribe medicine which will help the stone to pass, such as calcium channel blockers.