Five tips to prevent kidney stones

Urologists at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi have warned of the increasing rate of kidney stones being diagnosed at an early age in patients in the United Arab Emirates, noting that the country's population is more likely to develop painful kidney stones due to the climate and diet.
Dr. Zaki Al-Mallah, a consultant urologist at the hospital's Institute of Surgical Subspecialties, confirmed the increase in the number of young patients who go to the emergency department to seek treatment for cases of kidney stones, and attributed this increase to an unhealthy lifestyle and related diseases, such as obesity.
Dr. said. Al-Mallah: “In the past, middle-aged people were more likely to form kidney stones, but this is no longer the case. Kidney exams have become a problem for patients of all ages and both sexes. It is noticeable that the UAE is witnessing an increase in the proportion of young people facing this problem. We recently received male and female patients under the age of 14, and this is worrying.
Kidney stones are solid formations that form in the urine from the deposition of salts, such as calcium, oxalate, urate and cysteine, as a result of their high concentration due to the lack of fluids needed to be excreted from the body. Dehydration is the main risk factor for stone formation, while other factors include family history, an unhealthy lifestyle, poor diet and climate.
In this regard, Dr. said. Al-Mallah: “A diet low in fiber and rich in salt and meat, along with not drinking fluids, increases the chances of kidney stones, regardless of age or gender. The UAE is part of the "kidney stone belt", the name given to the region that stretches from the Gobi Desert in China to India, the Middle East, North Africa, the South American states and Mexico. This means that people who live in hot, dry climates are at greater risk of developing kidney stones due to the uncompensated loss of larger amounts of fluid.”

 He added: “The stone cannot dissolve after its formation, and the possibility of other stones forming in the patient during a period of three years rises to 50 percent, which is a very high percentage. Therefore, prevention is very important, and it starts with drinking plenty of water.”
He drew d. Mellah notes that 90 to 95 percent of kidney stones can pass on their own, as drinking large amounts of fluid helps pass them through the urinary tract, but this can take a long period of two or three weeks.
Symptoms of kidney stones include severe pain in the lower back and side of the body, nausea and vomiting accompanied by pain, blood in the urine, pain when urinating, the frequent need to urinate, hot or cold episodes, and cloudy or change in smell of urine.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi offers three advanced medical procedures to treat kidney stones, all of which are minimally invasive. The least invasive of these procedures is shock wave lithotripsy, which relies on emitting high-speed and frequency sound waves from outside the body to break the stones into small fragments and facilitate their expulsion with urine. There is also a laser lithotripsy with a ureteroscope, keyhole surgery, or percutaneous nephrolithotomy, to get rid of large or multiple stones.
In November, Bladder Health Awareness Month, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi launched a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of taking care of bladder health.

As for the five tips that Dr. Al-Mallah gives to prevent kidney stones:

1. Maintaining the proportion of fluid in the body, as the kidneys need an abundant amount of fluid to perform its function optimally
2. Reducing salt consumption
3. Eat a high-fiber diet and cut back on meat
4. Avoid soft drinks that contain certain ingredients such as phosphorous acid
5. Avoid certain foods such as beetroot, chocolate, spinach, rhubarb, wheat bran, tea and some types of nuts, because they contain a type of salt known as “oxalate”.