Woman drank sugary teas and juices rather than water for hydration
A 20-year-old woman in Tainan recently underwent surgery to have over 300 kidney stones removed.
The woman, identified in reports as Xiao Yu (小玉), was admitted to Chi Mei Hospital in Tainan last week after she began suffering a fever along with serious pain in her lower back, reported ET Today. An X-ray revealed her kidney was bulging with hundreds of tiny kidney stones.
The woman allegedly did not like to drink water, and regularly opted for sugary teas and juices from tea stands for hydration. This resulted in chronic dehydration and a build-up of minerals in her kidneys.
Doctors gave her antibiotics and performed a minimally invasive procedure to remove the accumulated kidney stones, which had an appearance similar to “little steamed buns,” according to doctors. Over 300 of the mineral formations were removed from the patient, measuring between 0.5 cm up to 2 cm in diameter.
Urologists at Chi Mei Hospital urge the public to drink plenty of water to ensure the body can adequately process the intake of substances like sugars, salt, and calcium. The young woman in Tainan is an extreme example of the dangers of lacking proper hydration and unhealthy dietary habits.
On average, men are three times more likely to develop kidney stones. In Taiwan, 14.9% of men are likely to develop kidney stones in their lifetime, compared to just 4.3% of women, according to Lin Tsai-yang (林才揚), a urologist at Chi Mei Hospital.
The collection of kidney stones removed from the patient. (Chi Mei Hospital photo)
