INTRODUCTION

Kidney stones are hard, pebble-like pieces of material that form in one or both of a child’s kidneys when high levels of certain minerals occur in urine. Kidney stones rarely cause permanent damage if treated by a health care professional.

Kidney stones vary in size and shape. They may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pea. Rarely, some kidney stones are as big as golf balls. Kidney stones may be smooth or jagged and usually are yellow or brown.

A small kidney stone may pass through the urinary tract on its own, causing little or no pain. A larger kidney stone may get stuck along the way. A kidney stone that gets stuck can block the flow of urine, causing severe pain or bleeding.

Type of kidney stones occur in children

• Calcium stones
• Uric acid stones
• Struvite stones
• Cystine stones

How common are kidney stones in children?

Kidney stones are not common in children, but the number of children affected has grown steadily larger during the last several years. Changing eating habits may be responsible, especially the rise in the amount of sodium children eat through processed foods and table salt.

Symptoms of kidney stones in children include

• Sharp pains in the back, side, lower abdomen, or groin
• Pink, red, or brown blood in the urine, also called hematuria
• A constant need to urinate
• Pain while urinating
• Inability to urinate or can urinate only a small amount
• Cloudy or bad-smelling urine
• Irritability, especially in young children

To diagnose kidney stones health care professionals use a child’s

• A medical history
• Physical exam
• Lab and imaging tests
• Treatment & prevention for kidney stones in children
• Kidney stone removal

Treatments

A urologist can remove the kidney stone or break it into small pieces with the following treatments:

Shock wave lithotripsy: NIH external link works from outside a child’s body to blast the kidney stone into small pieces. The smaller pieces of the kidney stone then pass through the urinary tract. A health care professional gives anesthesia NIH external link during this outpatient procedure to prevent pain or help a child keep still.

Cystoscopy and ureteroscopy: During cystoscopy, a health care professional uses a thin tube with a tiny lens at one end to look inside the urethra and bladder to find a stone. During ureteroscopy, a longer and thinner instrument is used to see the lining of the ureters and kidneys.

Conclusion

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Media Contact:

John Robert                                
Assistant Managing Editor

Journal of Kidney Treatment and Diagnosis