Taiwanese woman, Xiao Yu. had more than 300 kidney stones removed from her kidney. The reason? Instead of drinking water, she mainly drank bubble tea.
In a recent medical story from Taiwan, something unusual happened to a young woman named Xiao Yu. She had more than 300 stones removed from her kidney. The reason? Instead of drinking water, she mainly drank sweetened beverages. This led to health issues, including fever and severe lower back pain, landing her in Chi Mei Hospital in Taiwan.
When doctors checked, they found her right kidney swollen with fluid and filled with stones ranging from 5 mm to 2 cm, looking like small steamed buns on a scan. A blood test confirmed she was not in good shape.
Xiao Yu admitted that she didn’t like drinking water, so she preferred drinks like bubble tea, fruit juice, and alcohol. This choice caused chronic dehydration and the buildup of minerals in her kidneys.
To fix this, doctors performed a two-hour surgery called percutaneous nephrolithotomy, taking out around 300 stones. After the procedure, Xiao Yu’s condition improved, and she went home after a few days.
Dr. Lim Chye-yang, the surgeon, explained that not drinking enough water and having a diet high in calcium and protein can lead to kidney stones. He emphasized the importance of drinking sufficient water to prevent minerals in urine from concentrating and forming stones.
On average, men are more likely to get kidney stones than women. In Taiwan, this gender gap is even more significant, with men being three times more prone to developing kidney stones than women. About 9.6% of Taiwanese people might face kidney stones at some point in their lives.
