Child Kidney Stone

Most people think of stones as big, heavy rocks. Kidney stones are much smaller but, like other stones, they are extremely hard. And that makes them extremely painful when it’s time for your child to go to the bathroom.

Kidney stones are made of salt crystals or other minerals that form in the kidneys and get stuck in the pathway to the bladder. They can develop at any age, but causes of kidney stones in children include:

• Anatomical blockage, which can prevent urine from leaving the body and eventually turn into a hard, jagged stone. This accounts for about one-third of kidney stones in children.
• Unhealthy diet. Drinking too little water, too much caffeine or dark soda, or using too much salt on food can cause minerals in the urine to become too concentrated and form stones.
• A kidney or bladder infection.
• Producing too much calcium when digesting food -- a metabolic disorder known as hypercalciuria.

Others can be treated with drugs or changes to diet. But all can cause sharp pain and blood in your child’s urine. Fear of the pain or bleeding can keep your son or daughter from using the bathroom, which makes the problem even worse.

But rest assured that pediatricians at Mercy have treated thousands of other children with kidney stones. The Mercy Kids’ team of pediatricians can coordinate with Mercy’s surgeons and nutrition specialists to remove the stone, ease the pain and recommend diet and lifestyle changes. We want to put children at ease as we make them feel better.