Beyond Adult Ailments: Understanding the Rise of Kidney Stones in Children

While kidney stones were reckoned as grown-up or middle age health concerns, there is a growing trend in occurrence among the younger generation. Pediatric urologists start seeing healthy children enter the hospital with kidney stones for unclear reasons.

Experts believe that changes in diet, weather, and medication use have caused this growing trend.

1. Processed Food

Nowadays, it is easy to access food packed with high amounts of sodium. Especially when not drinking enough water, the excess sodium can clump into kidney stones.

2. Hotter weather

Studies proved that number of kidney stone cases increases as the daily mean temperature increases. On hotter days, we sweat more and urinate less. If we are not properly rehydrated, minerals easily bond in the kidneys and urinary tract.

3. Overuse of antibiotic

A research team has a theory that the use of antibiotics has the potential to modify the composition of the intestinal microbiota to promote the formation of kidney stones. They discovered that individuals prescribed any of the five commonly used oral antibiotics had a 1.3- to 2.3-fold higher likelihood of developing kidney stones. Although the risk diminished over time, it remained elevated for up to 5 years after the antibiotic treatment and was most pronounced when the medication was administered at younger ages.

This trend is alarming because children have a 50% re-occurrence chance, and there is limited study on the best kidney stone treatment for young children.

Is DTS an option for kidney stone treatment?

DTS is not a direct treatment for kidney stones. It cannot help passing out the stones. However, these solid crystals can cause kidney damage, especially when blocking urine flow. People with kidney injury caused by kidney stones might require some protection and support for kidney function, and here is where DTS comes in. We have conducted 11 research on DTS, and all gave consistent results on DTS being beneficial to kidney health and supporting kidney function (eGFR level). Our research is listed on the U.S. National Library of Medicine database and won 2 awards at different international conferences, which means our research is high-quality and professionally recognized.