When Annabelle Pleskoff was 15, she woke up before school one morning with severe pain radiating from her right side.
After hours of persistent throbbing, she went to the emergency room, where doctors initially thought she had mild appendicitis and sent her home. Later, she received an unexpected diagnosis: kidney stones, typically an affliction of older adults.
Now 25, Pleskoff, a Seattle native who has endured more than 30 kidney stones, is part of a troubling trend in pediatric health. Kidney stone cases are rising among children, and some medical professionals implicate a familiar culprit: ultra-processed foods. Other experts trace the increase to genetics, poor diet and insufficient water intake.
“We see, everyday, children presenting with kidney stones,” Zachary V. Zuniga, a pediatric urologist at Texas Children’s Hospital, said. Some return repeatedly to the emergency room, and while not all require surgery, others will be hospitalized and need antibiotics.
“The thought is that kids don’t get stones,” Zuniga said. “That’s like, the last thing you may think about when a child has pain somewhere as a symptom.”
Some health experts predict the problem will worsen.
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