Keeping hydrated, adjusting diet could help prevent kidney stones

Oh, summer in the South – lounging on the beach, swimming all day, fishing at the lake, a glass of cold sweet iced tea to cool down those hot days and warm nights.

And let’s not forget the kidney stones.

Men and women who live in hot and humid climates like the southeastern United States are more likely to develop kidney stones – those hardened masses that can pass quietly out of the body or become lodged in the urinary tract causing extreme pain.

“There is a higher incidence of stones in the southeastern United States,” said Dr. Jason Phillips, a urologist with Urological Associates of Dothan. “People who have never had stones before will move here and start making stones.”

And in the summer when it’s warmer, people may be even more prone to have kidney stones develop, Phillips said. That’s because it’s harder to stay hydrated enough to keep stones from forming. Diet also plays a role with some southern favorites on the list of foods that can increase the risk of kidney stones.

The most common types of kidney stones are made up of calcium and oxalate or phosphate – all found in a normal diet.

So what can you do?

Stay hydrated, first and foremost, Phillips said. If you’re prone to kidney stones, drink plenty of water and stay away from large amounts of tea and coffee since they act as diuretics and dehydrate you. Increasing the citric acid in your system by drinking lemon- or lime-based drinks can keep stones from forming. Avoid foods high in oxalates – peanuts, green leafy vegetables and rhubarbs, just to name a few.

A kidney stone basically develops from crystals in the urine. Normally, the urine stops these crystals from forming, but in some people the process just doesn’t work that smoothly.

Someone with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones, but it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific cause. The formation of kidney stones can be linked to diet, certain metabolic and hereditary disorders, urinary tract infections and renal disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health.

Having an excessive number of kidney stones can lead to other health issues, Phillips said. They can cause infections and even damage kidney tissue over time.

Treatment for kidney stones can involve a number of measures. Smaller stones may pass if a patient drinks enough water to move it along. Pain medicine might be prescribed. There are some medications that may prevent kidney stones or dissolve those that form.

Medical treatments for kidney stones include shockwave therapy for stones high in the ureters or in the kidneys, a ureteroscopy for stones lower in the ureters or bladder. And for stones too large to remove or that won’t respond to shockwaves, surgical removal through the back may be the only option.

The type of kidney stone you have will determine your treatment.

Pain associated with kidney stones can begin in the back and side as the stone moves from the kidney and into the ureter, blocking the flow of urine. Pain can spread into the abdomen and the groin as the stone moves toward the bladder.

“In order to have pain from kidney stones, it has to block something,” Phillips said. “Just having a stone doesn’t cause pain unless it’s moving or causing obstruction.”