IT MAY RESULT IN ORGAN FAILURE
BEWARE OF RECURRENT KIDNEY STONES IN CHILDREN!
Kidney stones, which are commonly seen in adults, have started to target children more in recent years. So much so that kidney stones are seen in 5 out of every 100 children in our country. Moreover, the incidence of kidney stones in children is increasing today. The biggest underlying reasons are familial predisposition, genetic reasons and malnutrition. It is also thought that consuming ready-made foods also has an effect. Acıbadem Atakent Hospital Pediatric Urology Specialist Prof. Dr. Selçuk Yücel pointed out that metabolic analysis of kidney stones formed in children must be performed and said, “Why should metabolic stone analysis be performed? What is looked at in this analysis? What does this provide?” said.
Complaints vary according to age.
Although kidney stones in children most commonly occur around puberty, they can occur even within the first year of life. The disease is more common in people with familial stone disease. There is no significant difference between children's stones and adult stones. However, stones due to some familial diseases, such as cystinuria stones, can be seen more frequently. Complaints related to kidney stones vary according to age in children. While young children under the age of 5 only experience blood in the urine or urinary tract inflammation, older children over the age of 5 complain of pain more frequently. Early diagnosis in children is very important as it offers the chance to treat stones before they cause kidney damage. For this reason, families with such complaints should not waste time and see their children to a urologist.
With early diagnosis, the risk of suffering from stone disease in later years of life is reduced.
Stones under 4 millimeters in children usually pass spontaneously and do not require treatment. However, this does not mean that small stones do not need to be taken into account. "Small stones should be monitored at regular intervals and treated if they grow," said Pediatric Urology Specialist Prof. Dr. Selçuk Yücel continues his words as follows: “Even in small stones, the underlying cause can be determined by metabolic stone analysis (blood and 24-hour test results). urine tests collected throughout the period) must be investigated. Because small stones can increase both in size and number and can cause urinary tract infections, putting kidney functions and the child's development at risk.”
Stones over 4 millimeters should be treated.
In children, every stone over 4 millimeters needs to be treated. Pediatric Urology Specialist Prof. Dr. Selçuk Yücel states that the most effective treatment method in children is kidney stone breaking treatment and continues his words as follows: “The effectiveness of stone breaking treatment is as high as 70-90 percent. The only difference from adults is that this treatment requires general anesthesia or deep anesthesia in children. However, every child with a stone should be seen by a pediatric urologist after the stone is detected and should be directed to determine which treatment is more suitable. Stone crushing treatments performed without expert opinion may cause irreversible damage or prevent subsequent treatments.”
Stones can be removed with a toothpick-thick device.
Pediatric Urology Specialist Prof. Dr. Selçuk Yücel says that closed kidney stone operations can be performed on stones larger than 2 centimeters in the urinary tract, called the ureter, or in the kidney. In recent years, stones can be broken with laser in closed operations performed by entering through the urinary hole and without making any cuts on the body. For some stones in the kidney, the kidney is entered through the skin with pencil-thick instruments. The stones are then broken and removed from the body. In addition, a device as thick as a toothpick, which has been used for the last 1-2 years, can be entered into the kidney through the skin and stones can be broken with a laser. In this method, only a few millimeters of scar remains on the child's skin. Very successful results are obtained with this method called "Microperc". However, which method will be more accurate must be decided by a pediatric urologist.
Stones must be analyzed
Pediatric Urology Specialist Prof. Dr. Selçuk Yücel recommends that the metabolic analysis of kidney stones removed by surgery or lithotripsy should be carried out, and then the factor causing the stone should be investigated through urine and blood tests. He pointed out that it should be included. “Thanks to these analyses, once the underlying cause is identified, the risk of stone formation can be minimized with diet, medication or supportive treatments. “ said Prof. Dr. Selçuk Yücel continued: “Tests that reveal the chemical properties of stones are generally called 'metabolic stone risk analysis'. In adults, it occurs after the first stone complaint in women and after the second stone complaint in men. It should also be done at the first detection of stones in children. “If metabolic stone analysis (urine and blood tests) is not done and it recurs, it can result in kidney failure in children.”
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