In our country, stone disease in the kidneys and urinary tract is increasingly common in babies and children.
In young babies, symptoms such as restlessness, loss of appetite, nausea-vomiting and sometimes fever are common. Stone disease, which causes sand loss, can sometimes be noticed when the mother sees some red and pink crystals in the baby's diaper. It may be accompanied by nausea or vomiting.
With ultrasound, it is possible to determine the location and size of the stone and, most importantly, whether it causes blockage in the channels and whether there is expansion behind it.
In urine examination, sometimes crystal types can be seen under a microscope. While it is possible to determine the type of stone by directly visualizing the stone, most of the time, by looking at the amount of substances such as calcium, Uric Acid, Oxalate, Citrate and Cystine in the urine, an important idea can be obtained about the metabolic cause that causes stone disease.
After obtaining information about the location of the stone, its size, whether it blocks the canals, and its type, the treatment phase begins.
Since stones below 5 mm can usually pass spontaneously, in this group it is necessary to wait under ultrasound monitoring and only then In case of serious infection, pain or bleeding, an intervention alternative should be considered.
For larger stones, the ESWL method should be tried, unless the stone size exceeds 15 mm. p>
For larger stones, endoscopic treatment methods are on the agenda. (Retrograde Uteteroscopy, RIRS or Percutaneous). In this group, the kidney can be entered in a closed manner, the stone is seen in situ, and the stone seen is broken into very small pieces with a laser and these pieces are then taken out.
The stone pieces obtained in babies and children whose stones are treated must be sent for analysis and the type of stone is determined. It must be determined precisely
Once the stone type is determined, the use of stone-specific drug treatments may be considered.
In general, for all stone types; After the baby reaches the appropriate month, increasing water and fluid intake, eating It is very important to avoid excessive salt consumption, avoid excessive protein intake, and consume less foods and beverages with high oxalate content, such as chocolate, wafers, tea and coffee.
In addition, solving other problems that may trigger stone formation, such as constipation, is also very important.
Citrate is a stone-protective substance, so adding lemon, which has a high citrate content, to water or consuming it in the form of homemade lemonade is often recommended for children with stone disease.
The most important thing to remember is One of the points is that stone disease is a disease that can recur.
For this reason, it is extremely important that babies and children with a history of stone disease be checked for stones with ultrasound once a year, even if they have no complaints. It is important.
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