17-month old with calcium oxalate crystals and trace blood in urine

[Katc8910]

I just found out that my 17-month old daughter has calcium oxalate crystals in her urine (and trace blood). We're going to see a pediatric urologist, but I'm also trying to research the issue. I would welcome any suggestions/ideas for how to treat this. She eats a very healthy diet - breast milk, lots of good fats, meats, fish, some veggies and fruit, nut butters, lots of bone stock, raw milk & yogurt. Some sources seem to say that too much protein can cause kidney stones, other sources blame it on oxalate in foods. I'm wondering if a dietary change would help her.

 

[violetflapjack]

The first thing that I wonder in thinking about what kind of dietary changes may be helpful is if there are any other symptoms or concerns. 

I also wonder if there was anything unusual going on with her diet around the time the U/A was done.  I looked up calcium oxalate crystals in Anne Frye's Understanding Diagnostic Tests in the Chilbearing Year and she says that they can be present with ingesting high doses of vitamin C.  Maybe its worth doing another UA to confirm whether or not they're consistently present?

I've seen a lot of info lately on the role of dietary oxalates in kidney stone formation, but from the description you give of your daughter's diet it doesn't seem that she is getting a very high exposure, though perhaps there is something about her unique biochemistry that makes her especially susceptible so it may be something to look for.

I also found an interesting article on the Weston A Price Foundation website that explained that a vitamin K deficiency may be implicated in the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones. This is consistent with Frye's recommendation (from Diagnostic Tests) to drink a nettle infusion to help break up kidney stones since nettle contains vitamin K.  The article explains the connection between vitamin K and kidney stones:

"The kidneys likewise accumulate large amounts of vitamin K₂⁶⁹ and secrete vitamin K-dependent proteins that inhibit the formation of calcium salts. Patients with kidney stones secrete this protein in its inactive form, which is between four and twenty times less effective than its active form at inhibiting the growth of calcium oxalate crystals, suggesting that vitamin K₂ deficiency is a major cause of kidney stones."

http://www.westonaprice.org/abcs-of-nutrition/175-x-factor-is-vitamin-k2.html

Hope this helps!  I'd also love to hear what you find out!

Best wishes mama and baby!

[Katc8910]

Thank you so much for this info. I think I need to get Anne Frye's book!  My daughter has had several tests and almost all show high oxalates (we test b/c she had 1 UTI months ago and if she gets another she'll have to be tested for kidney reflux - so we are super cautious & always test if she is ill or has a fever).  So I think this is a pretty constant thing for her.  We follow the Weston A. Price nutritional guidelines & I will def. read up on what they say about Vit K.  Thank you for your suggestions.  I'll post again after we see the pediatric urologist and get the test results back.

[Katc8910]

One more question: do you know if the nettle to be used should be root or leaves?  I can't find that info on the WAP website.  Does Frye say in her book?

[violetflapjack]

Frye doesn't specify which part of the nettle plant is used, but I think that it's the leaves since that is what is used throughout her texts unless otherwise specified.  She also gives some other suggestions that may be helpful too:

fresh beet juice, chamomile tea (5 to 7 cups daily for two weeks as an adult dose, so you would need to adjust accordingly), "liberal" amounts of unsweetened pear juice, vitamin c, and dandelion leaf either fresh or as an infusion.

 
:)

[springmum]

Just thought I would share what my son has.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/982261-overview

Hypercalciuria - it can cause recurring UTI's, high calcium in the urine. My son is almost 3. At 1.5 after giving him milk (goat) for the first time he developed a UTI. I quickly noticed (as we potty learning) that any high calcium food/drink would cause his urine to go cloudy (and be painful)

We have been to the ped urologist. He said it's more common than people realize, they just don't know why they keep getting UTI's. For my son it's purely managed by diet, which I will admit is difficult when trying to make sure he gets enough calcium vs another UTI.

My son did have a kidney ultrasound which was normal.

Thought I would share in case it sounds familiar at all.

Hopefully you guys can figure it out soon!

[Katc8910]

Thank you!

[Katc8910]

Springmum,

Can you tell me more about your son's diet?  My daughter eats a lot of dairy - lots of raw cows milk, yogurt, butter, cheese.  What foods do you avoid for your son and how do you make sure he gets enough calcium?  Do you avoid all dairy?

Thanks!

[springmum]

My son's diet is a bit of a struggle now to be honest. We have just started weaning, and breastmilk (which never contributed to his urine problems) was making up for the extra calcium.

For his age it seems it's recommended that he gets at least 500 mg of calcium a day. Through food is impossible for us, b/c he just doesn't eat that much food, and giving him a glass of milk would give him a UTI. The other issue for us is that he needs to eat meals rich in iron, since he's at the low end of normal for iron (and calcium blocks the proper absorption of iron, so best to keep them separate) 

We don't avoid dairy at all, but I just limit how much he can have in one serving. I've learned how much will trigger the cloudy urine (and pain) Example: about an ounce of cheese, 1/4 cup of milk (almond, rice, cow or goat -must chase with a glass of water to keep it really diluted), 1/4 yogurt etc Butter doesn't have any calcium, so he's fine with that. Almonds, and a calcium rich green smoothie have even triggered it, so I'm careful with those too. I've read about all the other sources of calcium and try to incorporate those as much as possible - sesame seeds, greens, broccoli, nettles, molasses, beans & lentils etc. Haven't had issues with those.

I have a liquid calcium supplement that I have to reduce to about 50-100mg per serving and really dilute it with lot's of water (sometimes it turns his urine cloudy, sometimes not so I haven't give him more than that in a serving)

The secret for us his small doses of calcium throughout the day (except during iron rich meals/snacks) and really dilute it (encourage him to drink lot's of water) 

Hopefully the ped urologist will give you some more answers too. 

[Katc8910]

Thank you.  That's very helpful.