Kidney stone: These alarming symptoms in young adults may be missed

What was once considered to be a primary health issue affecting middle-aged and older persons, kidney stones are now increasingly seen among younger people as well. This condition is commonly diagnosed among both students and young working professionals. Amid juggling stressful work and deadline demands, they often forget to drink enough water, eat right and miss the symptoms that their bodies give them on ill-health. Here's how each of these symptoms and habits ruins the health of your kidneys.

Dehydration
Dehydration is one of the main reasons for kidney stones. Students and professionals who spend hours in front of the screens may forget to drink enough water. The amount of urine would be reduced when the body has low fluids, causing minerals like calcium oxalate to be deposited in the kidneys. They will get solidified and turn into painful kidney stones.

Unhealthy diet
Youngsters tend to binge on fast food, which is often excessively processed and rich in sodium and added sugar, as well as fizzy drinks. These foods cause calcium and oxalates to be deposited in the urine. Citrate levels in urine might go down if you eat too much red meat or overconsume protein-rich food. It is a salt or ester of citric acid that prevents kidney stones. However, youngsters hardly realise that their poor diet is what causes them to have kidney stones.

Supplements
Overconsumption of calcium, vitamin D, protein powder and other gym supplements has become a common thing among youngsters. Although these supplements are often labelled as healthy, using them without the proper advice of a medical practitioner will expel calcium from the body and alter the urine chemistry, causing kidney stones. Replacing supplements with little or no fluids will do more harm than good.

Symptoms
Severe pain, typically located on the sides of the body, accompanied by pain during urination, hematuria (blood in the urine), and recurrent urethral infections, is often misdiagnosed as muscle strain or stress. At the same time, it can be an indication of kidney issues. This would delay diagnosis and treatment.

Bursting the myths
The belief that consuming milk causes kidney stones is a misconception. Moderate consumption of dairy products like milk lowers the risk of kidney stones. Meanwhile, it is a myth that elderly people are the ones who get affected by this disease. It is false that a family history of kidney stones increases the risk.