Risk of kidney stone escalates in summer

With each passing year, the summer is getting extreme in Vidarbha, subsequently increasing several health risks, including the chances of a person developing kidney stones.

The situation will be 100 per cent worse for people who are already suffering with kidney stone. Kidney stones are solid clumps of material that develop in the kidney. It may form in one or both of the kidneys especially due to high levels of certain minerals in the urine.

As per National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) kidney stones affect about 12 per cent of the world population. Vidarbha, along with Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab is the stone belt of India.

Dr S J Acharya, senior city nephrologist says that the number of patients with Kidney stones are hard to imagine. “Because India lacks in research, we do not have any certain number, but the patients are countless”, he said.

It may be noted that in summers or whenever a person faces extreme heat, the urine becomes thick. The concentration of mineral, salt in urine becomes much more than water. When that balance is disturbed, substances that normally pass out of the body through urine separate and form stones. It can be as small as a grain of sugar or as big as a pea.

Dr Acharya says, “People lose a lot of fluid through sweat and get dehydrated, because of the hot weather. The problem starts when the intake of water or liquid decreases.”

During summers, everyone falls under the risk. Dr Acharya stated that kidney stones are tended to be more noticeable in men than women. It is because they are more exposed to heat. The lifetime incidence of kidney stones is nearly 13 per cent in men and 7 per cent in women.

Besides, the excessive intake of calcium and vitamin-D  tablets harm kidney. It also increases the risk of stones. “Over eating of non-vegetarian food, consumption of hard water makes people more prone to developing kidney stones.”

Drink plenty of water, as 2-3 litre evaporates from the body during summers. If the fluid loss is not replaced by drinking extra water, the kidneys will make concentrated urine to conserve body water which will lead to the formation of stones.