Kidney stones are small problems that can cause a big pain. They are becoming more common in people of all ages, but what is really troublesome is that doctors are seeing more children and teens suffering with the agony they cause.
The current lifestyle of children is largely to blame, says specialists.
Pediatric urologist Dr. John Masterson says poor diet and the obesity epidemic are largely responsible for the increase in kidney stones in kids.
"We'll probably see one or two per month [previously] and now we probably see one or perhaps one-and-a-half per week on average now, so it's probably doubled or tripled over the last 10 years," he says.
"A sedentary lifestyle, drinking less water, drinking more Pepsi, Coke, Gatorade, which has a high salt level in it, and probably more fatty foods in their diets."
And kids who don't drink enough water and have high-salt diets are at a higher risk.
"In fact, one of the treatments for reoccurring stones is to decrease the amount of salt in the diet," says Dr. Masterson.
Most kidney stones are small -- about the size of a cookie crumb -- but they can cause "excruciating" pain.
Stones form in the kidneys from substances in the urine.
As the stones move through the urinary tract they cause discomfort and pain.
In many cases the stones will pass on their own, but children usually require quicker intervention because they cannot tolerate the pain as much as an adult.
"Whereas with adults we can wait two or three weeks to see if they can pass the stone themselves, a kid will never tolerate that," Dr. Masterson says.
Treatments include using scopes to get the stone out or shock lasers that can break the stone apart.
But preventing kidney stones in the first place should be a family's ultimate goal.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low
