A Taiwanese woman in her 20s who only drank juice or tea instead of water underwent surgery to remove more than 300 stones from her kidney.
According to Taiwan News on the 10th (local time), A (20), a woman living in Tainan, Taiwan, visited the hospital due to severe back pain along with fever symptoms.
An X-ray showed that Mr. A’s kidneys were swollen due to hundreds of large and small stones.
Mr. A said that he usually did not drink water but drank tea and juice containing sugar. As a result, chronic dehydration occurred and a large amount of minerals accumulated in the kidneys. The media reported that Mr. A’s case is a clear example of the health risks of lack of adequate hydration and unhealthy eating habits.
The medical staff first administered antibiotics to Mr. A and then performed percutaneous nephrolithotomy to remove the kidney stones. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is a method of crushing and removing stones by making a small incision in the surgical area and inserting an endoscope into the kidney. More than 300 stones were removed from Mr. A’s kidney, ranging from 0.5 cm to 2 cm in diameter.
Mr. A had all his stones removed and was discharged from the hospital a few days later. It is reported that he is currently recovering his health by receiving outpatient treatment.
Kidney stones are stones that form inside the kidneys when there is excess calcium, oxalic acid (oxalic acid), phosphoric acid, or uric acid in the urine. It often occurs when moisture decreases and mineral concentration increases. Causes include bacterial infection, metabolic abnormalities, and excessive consumption of foods containing stone components.
Most very small kidney stones cause no symptoms, but some cause chronic side pain. Kidney stones may remain stationary in the kidneys, but are often passed through the lower urinary tract and into the urine. If a large stone gets caught in the ureter while moving to the lower urinary tract, symptoms such as severe pain in the back or side, nausea, vomiting, and hematuria may appear.
Kidney stones are generally three times more likely to occur in men than in women. According to Tainan Chimei Hospital, in Taiwan, 14.9% of men experience kidney stones, while the incidence among women is only 4.3%.
Doctors advised people to drink plenty of water to help their bodies properly process substances such as sugar, salt and calcium. If you excrete a lot of oxalate in your urine, it is best to avoid foods high in oxalate, such as spinach and Swiss chard. Tea, coffee, cola, chocolate, and nuts also contain oxalate and should be consumed in appropriate amounts.
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.