If you don't want kidney crystals to develop into kidney stones, please keep the 5 treatment suggestions!

*For medical professional reading reference only

5 tips for people with kidney crystals!

Today, the outpatient clinic received a father and son.

The following is the patient's complete blood test and kidney B-ultrasound in our hospital

■ Blood test report

Urine routine: urine specific gravity 1.

Renal function: creatinine 78μmol/L, urea nitrogen 5.

Blood lipid routine: total cholesterol 5.

Fasting blood glucose: 6.

Glycated hemoglobin: 5.

■ Kidney ultrasound

B-ultrasound report: kidney crystals

Patient's Kidney Ultrasound Report

After getting the examination report, I asked the patient in detail about his daily life and eating habits.

The father asked me anxiously: "Doctor, what are kidney crystals? Are kidney crystals just kidney stones? Will it turn into stones? Can my son's kidney crystals look good?"

In order to answer the father's questions, let's learn about kidney crystallization and answer the questions for the father
.

What is the relationship between kidney crystals and kidney stones?

▌ How are crystals formed?

Kidney crystals generally refer to the deposition of urinary salts (urate, oxalate, phosphate, etc.
) in the kidneys.
These salts are naturally present in the urine, if the concentration in the urine is too high, or stone inhibitors For example, if citrate is too low, these salts may deposit and form kidney crystals, which appear as strong echoes on ultrasound
.

▌ Are kidney crystals just kidney stones? Will it turn into a stone?

The answer is no
.

Generally, kidney crystals are a precursor to kidney stones
.

The two crystal nucleation theories proposed by Randall (namely, the free particle theory and the fixed particle theory) are relatively accepted by the academic community to explain the formation mechanism of crystals and stones
.

It is mentioned in the doctrine that free particles are tubular lumen deposits and fixed particles are subepithelial deposits
.

Both are covered with an organic matrix that, as the urine moves down, promotes crystallization and stone growth when it encounters crystal aggregates
.

The formation of kidney stones is the final product of a series of events ^[1]
.

In a nutshell, kidney crystallization is the early stage of kidney stones and the main component of kidney stones, which will eventually form if left unchecked
.

What is the cause of the patient's kidney crystals?

The patient is 19 years old, 178cm tall, 85kg in weight, BMI 26.
8Kg/m ² , overweight, with high uric acid, blood lipids, and blood sugar.
Metabolic syndrome is considered
.

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by insulin resistance, mainly manifested as obesity (especially central obesity), type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose regulation, dyslipidemia and hypertension, or even involving nonalcoholic fatty liver, hyperuricemia, Microalbuminuria, abnormal vascular endothelial function, low-grade inflammatory response, abnormal blood coagulation and fibrinolytic system activity, neuroendocrine abnormality, poly ovary syndrome and other diseases syndrome
.

Studies have shown that metabolic syndrome is closely related to the formation and recurrence of kidney stones.
Abnormal increases in blood sugar and blood lipids can increase the incidence and recurrence of stones such as calcium oxalate and uric acid
.

Therefore, metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for kidney stones
.

Avoiding prolonged sitting can reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and kidney stones
.

According to my speculation, metabolic syndrome is the main cause of kidney crystals in patients
.

Treatment of kidney crystals

Next, to answer the father's last question, can kidney crystals be cured? The answer is yes
.

Unlike kidney stones, which require surgical treatment and drug treatment, the vast majority of kidney crystals only require adjustment of lifestyle and diet
.

Dietary factors play an important role in the formation of crystals, which mainly include: animal protein, sodium, calcium and oxalate
.

I've summed up the following 5 treatment recommendations:

▌ Reduce animal protein intake

Protein intake can provide acidic components and some possible stone factors, especially animal protein
.

Studies have shown that reducing animal protein intake leads to an increase in urine pH and a decrease in uric acid production, which reduces the formation of kidney stones
.

▌ Reduce sodium intake

Reducing sodium ion intake can not only increase the solubility of urinary citrate, but also reduce the saturation of sodium urate and reduce the formation of urinary calcium, all of which can reduce the precipitation of calcium oxalate in the urine
.

▌ Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables

Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in potassium, because the organic anions they provide are metabolized into alkaline substances in the body, effectively neutralizing the acid of animal proteins, while reducing high levels such as cola The intake of sugary drinks can reduce the formation of uric acid stones
.

▌ Increase water intake

Increase the amount of water you drink.
It is recommended to drink at least 2L of water a day, which can reduce the saturation of the urine, and can also flush the kidneys and promote the excretion of crystals through the urine
.

▌ Exercise properly, control your weight, and avoid prolonged sitting

If the treatment fails according to the above 5 points, drug therapy such as lipid-lowering, uric acid-lowering, and alkalinizing urine can be considered
.

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references:

[1] Gao Xinmei, Qi Weiyan, Xu Hanmei.
Research progress on the formation mechanism and treatment of kidney stones [J].
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, 2019, 26(6): 558-561

[2] Wu Xufeng, Sun Fa.
Research on the mechanism and surgical treatment of kidney stones [J].
Medical Information, 2021, 34(23): 25-27

Source of this article: Medical Nephrology Channel

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