Oct 30, 2008 8:14 am US/Pacific
Number Of Kids With Kidney Stones On Rise
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) ―
Doctors around the country are seeing an alarming increase in the number of cases involving children with kidney stones, reports CBS station KYW-TV in Philadelphia.
The numbers are specifically high in the Philadelphia area, with doctors at Children's Hospital seeing on average 10 to 15 patients in a week. 10 years ago, they'd see that in a year.
Children's Hospital in Philadelphia has seen 700 cases of kidney stones among young patients in the last four years.
"Our rates here have gone up dramatically," said Dr. Pasquale Casale, CHOP Pediatric Urologist.
China saw the same problem recently after babies were fed tainted formula, which can cause kidney stones.
But children in the U.S. are getting them from a common, and legal food additive -- salt.
It diverts calcium away from building strong bones and dumps it into the urine.
That extra calcium forms crystals that can turn into kidney stones. The biggest source of salt for kids is found in processed foods.
"Quick lunches, quick dinners, fast foods, if you're not drinking enough, that's enough salt to last you for one day in one meal," said Dr. Casale.
80-percent of the salt we consume comes from things like canned food and pre-packaged snacks. Junk food, the all-American kid favorite, is causing yet another problem for children.
"Philadelphia has one of the largest problems with childhood obesity and that's all diet related. I can't imagine that it's not playing a role with the stones as well," said Dr. Casale.
To reduce the risk of kids developing kidney stones, they should eat more fruits and veggies and cut down on salt and red meat. Make sure they drink plenty of water to flush out the salt they do consume.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
CBS News Interactive: Healthwatch
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