High temperatures cause kidney stones

[LahoreEstate]

KARACHI: Researchers have predicted that high temperatures can increase the changes of developing kidney stones.

“The chances of developing kidney stones are higher in warm areas,” said Kidney Centre’s Section of Urology Assistant Professor Dr Salman Khalid.

He said that the people in Pakistan are also more prone to suffer from kidney related diseases as the country falls on the so-called stone belt, where the temperatures are relatively higher. The other countries that fall in the stone belt include India, Iran, Iraq, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, when people move from areas having moderate temperatures to the areas with warmer climates, there is a rapid increase of the risk of developing kidney stones.

The second leading cause of kidney diseases in Pakistan is contaminated water, he maintained.

Khalid went to say that excess amounts of calcium and uric acid present in the body could also lead to the formation of stones in the body. When the crystals of uric acid or calcium exceed a certain quantity, they start sticking together, forming a large solid ball, which is known as a stone. A patient who has stones experiences severe pain in his or her lower abdomen and traces of blood are often found in their urine.

If the stone’s size is smaller than five mm it is treated by medication and if the stone is larger than 5mm more than 90 percent of the cases are treated using laser surgery and other methods. Operations are now only necessary for complicated cases

People who have developed stones once are three times more likely to develop stones again than those who have never suffered from kidney stones, Khalid added. sarwat ghulam rasool

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg7_29