Kidney Stone Season is Upon Us

July 5, 2004

SLU Urologists Prepare for Start of ³Stone Season²

Hot Summer Months Lead to Higher Incidence of Kidney Stones in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS‹(HealthNewsDigest.com)...They call it the - stone season. Once the

weather warms up and people guzzle ice tea to cool down, urologists know

they¹ll begin seeing lots more of one of the most common and painful‹

disorders of the urinary tract: kidney stones. ...

Kidney stones develop when excess calcium forms small deposits in the

kidney. These deposits, or ³stones,² can dislodge and travel through the

urinary tract. Though painful, some stones can pass through on their own;

others become lodged and require surgery to break them into smaller pieces.

Dr. Berni said one of the main causes of stones is dehydration. ³The main

reason we see so many in summer is the heat, with people spending more time

outside and getting dehydrated.²

Be careful what you drink, though: Ice tea, a favorite summertime drink,

contains the chemical oxalate, which is a main ingredient in stone

formation. Other foods that contain oxalate include dark leafy greens....

Recommended Posts