Kid's Health

by Jane Bianchi

According to a new study, the number of kids with kidney stones has tripled in the past decade. The rock-like particles, which form when calcium builds up in urine, now affect thousands of children a year. Small stones may pass through the body unnoticed, without doing any harm. But if they're large, they can get caught in the urinary tract, causing severe pain (usually in the lower back) and possibly kidney damage. "Eating too much salt (more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily) and not drinking enough water are the usual causes," says Caleb P. Nelson, M.D., co-director of the Pediatric Kidney Stone Center at Children's Hospital Boston.

Encourage your kid to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

Family Circle Oct.17.09