Taiwan Doctors Remove 300 Stones From Woman’s Kidney; She Only Drank Bubble Tea

Kidney stones can be caused by drinking too little water, exercising too much or too little, obesity, weight loss surgery, or eating food with too much salt or sugar.

Kidney stones can cause a lot of pain; imagine having as many as 300 stones in your body. It happened to a 20-year-old woman in Taiwan, who had to be hospitalised for severe back pain and fever. According to a report in The Independent, doctors found in an ultrasound that the patient, Xiao Yu, had swollen kidneys with stones. A surgery was done to remove these stones that resembled “small steamed buns”.

Per the report, the Chi Mei Medical Centre in the city of Tainan wrote on its website that the patient’s CT scan indicated that the stones measured between 5mm and 2cm. An accompanying blood test revealed an increased white blood cell count. Interestingly, the patient had a liking for bubble tea, and she would prefer it to water. According to media reports, she did not enjoy drinking water.

What causes kidney stones?

According to kidney.org, kidney stones can be caused by drinking too little water, exercising too much or too little, obesity, weight loss surgery, or eating food with too much salt or sugar. Infections and family history may also be considered as factors. Additionally, eating too much fructose — found in table sugar and high fructose corn syrup — can increase risk of developing a kidney stone.

Types

Kidney.org added that there are four main types of stones:

1. Calcium oxalate: The most common type; created when calcium combines with oxalate in the urine. Inadequate calcium and fluid intake as well other conditions may contribute to their formation.
2. Uric acid: Foods such as organ meats and shellfish have high concentrations of a natural chemical compound known as purines. High purine intake leads to a higher production of monosodium urate which, under the right conditions, may form stones in the kidneys.
3. Struvite: These stones are less common and are caused by infections in the upper urinary tract.
4. Cystine: These are rare; tend to run in families.

Xiao Yu’s urologist, Dr Lim Chye-yang, was quoted by The Independent as saying that kidney stone cases were more common in spring and summer because of dehydration from the hot weather. As a result of reduced fluid intake, urine becomes more “concentrated”, causing “minerals to amalgamate and crystallise into stones”. In winters, however, people tend to drink less water in the absence of sweating and thirst.