Uraturia - urates in the urine of a child

The urinary system of children after their birth is not fully developed. Formation lasts up to seven years. Until this time, many elements leak through the filtration system of the glomeruli of the kidneys. Therefore, for young children there are their own norms for urine indicators.

Salts in a child’s urine (urates, oxalates) are determined using a general clinical urine test (CUR). Testing shows not only this indicator, but also other data that is necessary to check a person’s health and make a diagnosis.

If they check the baby’s data, the mother should know that salt appears in the urine due to the diet she follows. If your baby has a lot of crystals in his urine, they will form conglomerates that will damage the mucous membrane of the urinary system.

Under what circumstances is a test prescribed?

Unfortunately, the presence of urates is practically not reflected in symptoms in the early stages of crystal formation. In the future, the following signs may indicate the disease in children:

• sudden jumps in blood pressure;
• increased nervous excitability;
• constipation;
• dizziness and weakness;
• bloody discharge in urine;
• asthma attacks and vomiting;
• pain when emptying the bladder;
• uncontrolled hyperactivity;
• lack of appetite (especially in babies under one year old);
• insomnia;
• temperature 37–38 °C;
• diarrhea;
• causeless shortness of breath;
• local redness of the skin;
• nausea;
• lumbar pain.

A more obvious symptom of high urates is suspiciously colored urine: it appears pinkish, gray, brown or even scarlet, which sometimes indicates complications caused by uraturia.

Associated symptoms

Urates in the urine often lead to the development of urolithiasis, the formation of sand and small stones in the kidneys.

This leads to a severe inflammatory process, blockage of the urethra and ureters. The accumulation of urates leads to disruption of the outflow of urine, expansion of the renal pelvis, and the formation of large stony deposits.

As the child grows older, the child's condition will worsen, and the deposition of uric acid will begin to occur not only in the kidneys, but also in the joints, muscles, and internal organs, leading to the occurrence of gout.

The main symptom of uraturia is a change in the color of urine , which becomes cloudy, light in color with a pinkish or brown tint. There is a dense dark or, on the contrary, whitish sediment and traces of blood. The child’s urination becomes painful and infrequent.

Indirect signs of the disease:

• dizziness and headache;
• morning vomiting;
• sleep disorders;
• temperature increase;
• skin rashes;
• constipation or diarrhea;
• loss of appetite;
• hyperactivity;
• moodiness, tearfulness and nervousness;
• cough, shortness of breath.

If several times in a row a urine test shows a high content of urate in the urine, then it is necessary to conduct a full examination for urolithiasis and infectious kidney lesions.

When no additional pathologies are found, it is necessary to adjust the diet and get tested after some time. If kidney stones, infections and inflammation have been diagnosed, you will have to take medications.

Decryption features

The generally accepted norm is the absence of uric acid salts. A similar result is accompanied by the following inscriptions:

• "not detected";
• “not identified”;
• «–»;
• "0 U/μl";
• "No".

The permissible urate content observed over a short period of time is expressed as “+” or “++”. A larger number of plus signs can already signal pathological disorders, so you should be vigilant.

Crystalline urate compound

Notes from a laboratory assistant. Uric acid in tests

Authors : Kuznyak Irina

In case of metabolic disorders or in case of certain provocations of the body by foods or medicinal substances, the form with the results of a general urinalysis (UCA) may say: “large quantities of uric acid crystals.” This analysis needs to be retaken in a couple of days. It also wouldn’t hurt to review your entire medical record to see if you’ve had any of these salts before. And if the situation repeats itself, then your doctor, having previously analyzed your lifestyle, the menu accepted in the family (since metabolic diseases are often the result of culinary habits passed on from generation to generation), will ask what you used to bring down the temperature (if was her rise).

You need to understand that uric acid in the analysis is not such an ordinary case as, say, oxalates in the urine (personally, I observe 99% of cases of the appearance of oxalates in microscopy after uncontrolled and long-term use of vitamin preparations - 90% are given by vitamin C, 10 % - vitamin D, and its aqueous solution, since it is more difficult to dose and it contains citric acid, which easily combines with calcium).

Uric acid is very rare in the urine of children. Therefore, it is wrong to ignore this analysis result.

On the microscope table you can see “golden sand” - crystals of uric acid.

It’s worth at least looking at the photo to understand how aggressive the crystals of this salt look and behave - they are always pointed, some are just like hedgehogs. You can imagine what it’s like for the inner layer of the urinary tract when such crystals pass places of physiological narrowing - a child at these moments may even feel pain or anxiety, not to mention possible inflammatory processes from such “scratching.”

Uric acid crystal.

Uric acid in significant quantities.

This salt is found only in acidic urine; in alkaline urine it can never even form. Or rather, to be precise, there is one salt of uric acid that appears in alkaline urine - the so-called ammonium urate (in the photo below you can see that it is a hedgehog!!!).

But don’t be alarmed - it is formed only under certain, very rare circumstances (personally, I have encountered it literally several times throughout my professional career).

It turns out that if you do not create conditions for the appearance of such unpleasant salts (uric acid), then you can “fight” it if a metabolic disorder is confirmed. Just study in the literature which foods lead to urine acidification and which lead to alkalization. But don’t get too carried away with alkalization, because... it is the acidic reaction of urine that is the norm, since in such an environment it is much more difficult for bacteria to survive. It is much more logical and easier to exclude contraindicated products from the menu. I listed these products in the article about acetone syndrome - read it again or ask your doctor.

In addition to uric acid crystals, there are also amorphous urates. In the photo they are visible in the sediment after centrifugation. In microscopy, there is no point in showing them in photographs, since, as is clear even from the name “amorphous,” they simply look like sand.

Test tubes contain amorphous urates before and after centrifugation.

If the OAM contains urates (in particular, uric acid crystals and ammonium urate) in large quantities, also take a UBC - this is necessary to exclude the presence of serious diseases.

I would like to note right away that there is no need to confuse the increased content of uric acid in the urine and in the blood - sometimes it may not be in the urine, because the excretion of uric acid is impaired, and it “gets stuck” in the bloodstream and is deposited in the joints, but this is a pathology, as a rule, not for children.

published 13/12/2017 17:56 updated 29/11/2018 — Analyzes and examinations

Recommendations for preparing for urine testing for urates

Urine is a biomaterial that is sensitive to the influence of the external environment and requires careful treatment. A small set of rules will allow you to avoid structural changes in urine, which can distort the result itself. Its emphasis is shifted primarily to stabilizing the diet. So, for 1-2 days you should avoid eating such foods:

An equally important requirement for urate analysis is the refusal to use certain types of medications: cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), dietary supplements, antibiotics, iodine-containing drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, anesthetics and antipyretics (antipyretics), etc.

If medications need to be taken regularly for the normal functioning of the body, then this fact should be reported to the treating specialist. On the eve of the study, it is not advisable to visit fitness centers, gyms, baths and saunas. During the menstrual cycle, teenage girls should not test their urine for urates, since natural changes in urine will greatly affect the final results.

What does a positive result indicate?

If laboratory workers do identify urates in a child’s urine, this may indicate both a spectrum of serious diseases and non-pathological phenomena. The reasons of the first category usually include:

Uric acid in the urine of a child

• leukemia;
• hydronephrosis (deformation of the kidneys with enlarged pelvis and stagnation of urine);
• dysbacteriosis;
• urethritis;
• urolithiasis disease;
• liver failure;
• chronic pyelonephritis;
• gout;
• renal artery thrombosis;
• diabetes;
• hepatitis;
• cystitis.

Quite often, elevated urate levels are a consequence of obesity. If completely healthy children have a genetic predisposition to uraturia, then a small amount of uric acid crystals will be detected in a general urine test, regardless of the presence of diseases.

But in the vast majority of cases, an excess of urates is associated with non-pathological causes, including:

• prolonged stress;
• a previous illness accompanied by diarrhea, chills, high fever and vomiting;
• dehydration (as a rule, this condition is confirmed by an increase in not only urates, but also oxalates);
• sunstroke;
• reluctance to drink enough water per day;
• hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

A large number of crystals also indicates poor nutrition. In modern times, an irrational diet often leads to changes in the composition of urine. Here is a list of some foods, the excess consumption of which leads to uraturia:

• legumes;
• spices;
• conservation;
• cheese;
• flour products;
• tomatoes;
• fatty meats and fish;
• chocolate;
• salt;
• smoked meats

An active lifestyle associated with regular physical activity also becomes a reason for an increase in urate in the urine

Salts, among other things, may well be detected in a child due to chronic malnutrition.

Treatment of uraturia in a baby

In order to reduce the amount of urate in the child’s urine, a diet is first prescribed. The diet should include fresh fruits, vegetables, as well as foods rich in B vitamins. The baby needs to drink a lot of water.

Usually, a simple dietary adjustment is enough to ensure that salts disappear from urine. After following the diet, the urine test is repeated. If the situation has not changed for the better, begin drug treatment. Alkaline, potassium-magnesium and anti-inflammatory drugs, diuretics are prescribed.

Folk remedies

Non-traditional methods of treatment include taking decoctions and infusions of various herbs. This method of therapy should be used with extreme caution in children. The fact is that many medicinal plants are contraindicated for children, so it is better to consult a doctor before taking them so as not to harm the little one.

Recommended topic:

Removing stones from the ureter

The Pol-Fal plant is indispensable in the treatment of uric acid diathesis in children. The herb is included in many folk recipes and is used as an antispasmodic, salt-removing, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and diuretic. Causes severe allergic reactions, which is why it is not used to treat children under 12 years of age.

Homeopathy

Homeopathic medicines can be used for treatment. Such therapy is carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor, who determines the dosage, dosage regimen and makes the necessary adjustments. This takes into account the nature of the disease and the individual characteristics of the patient.

Homeopathy is also used for preventive purposes. To reduce the level of salts in urine, the following drugs are taken: Causticum, Lycopodium, Nux Vomica, Kalium carbonicum.

Causticum

Briefly about the main thing

Urates are crystal-like or liquid components of uric acid that are concentrated in urine (consisting of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium salts). In a healthy person, such compounds should not be diagnosed, but insignificant levels are considered acceptable (in a blood test they are represented by one plus).

Doctors often give referrals for a general urine test if a child suffers from a range of characteristic symptoms: kidney and headaches, sleep disorders, fever, constipation, shortness of breath, aggressiveness, chronic fatigue, redness of the skin, hyperhidrosis, frequent urination, diarrhea and nausea. Changes in the shade of urine, as well as the appearance of bloody clots in it, should not be ignored.

Acute pain accompanying bladder emptying should also never be ignored. At least one day before the urate test, it is advisable to stop consuming diuretic products (watermelon, cranberries, coffee, green tea), processed foods, pickles, smoked meats, and confectionery. You should take various berries, vegetables and fruits with caution, since many of them give urine a specific smell and color it in an unnatural shade.

The use of medications should be discussed in advance with the doctor who ordered the test. High urates can signal the hidden development of diseases (in particular, inflammation of the genitourinary system), but in more than half of the cases the true cause of excess crystals is an unbalanced diet, daily stress, regular exercise and dehydration.

Genetic predisposition to uraturia also plays an important role. When the child’s diagnosis is clarified through comprehensive medical research, specialists will develop a treatment plan, which often involves diet, medication, stabilization of the daily routine, etc.

Urate in urine - what does it mean?

Urates are the salts formed by uric acid. As a result of chemical processes occurring in the body, sodium and potassium precipitate. It accumulates in the kidneys , but is not completely excreted in the urine.

This is explained by the fact that in children, the systems and organs are not yet fully adapted to the production of the necessary enzymes responsible for accelerating metabolism. Due to their lack, urates are retained in the bladder. Salts give urine a pinkish or brownish color.