HEALTH: Heat Can Contribute To Kidney Stones

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Heat Can Contribute To Kidney Stones

by Seema Mathur

 

Some people who've had kidney stones say they're more painful than

having a baby. Doctors say if you don't take the right precautions in

the Texas heat, your chances go up of getting one.

 

A few months ago David Bauman, 46, says he experienced the worst pain of

his life

 

“It was just so intense it caused me to vomit,” Bauman said.

 

Bauman was feeling a kidney stone trying to make its way out of his system.

 

“It was almost like someone was sticking a knife in your back and going

up and down,” he said.

 

As part of natural metabolism, the body creates and filters crystals

from the kidneys.

 

“If we don't have enough urine to wash those crystals out they can start

bumping into each other and forming stones,” urologist Dr. Richard Chopp

said.

 

Doctors say the Texas heat and a lack of hydration puts Austinites at

greater risk of kidney stones.

 

“The major cause in Austin is a fluid problem,” Chopp said.

 

To decrease your chances of having a kidney stone, Chopp says, avoid

salt and drink a lot of water and lemonade.

 

“When citrate is excreted in the urine it acts as an inhibitor for those

crystals to stick together,” Chopp said.

 

Since Bauman had a kidney stone, his chances of getting another one

increased. So he's drinking lots of water.

 

“Probably eight to 10 glasses a day if not more,” Bauman said.

 

Doctors say a family history of kidney stones also puts you at greater risk.

 

 

http://keyetv.com/topstories/local_story_202175040.html

 

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