Yucatán is the Mexican state with the highest incidence of lithiasis (kidney stones) in all of Mexico, said the head of the Urology and Nephrology Division of the Regional High Specialty Hospital of the Peninsula (Hraepy), Juan Pablo Flores Tapia, who indicated This is because the State, all the factors converge for the shape of stones, such as climate and food among others.
The specialist explained that the kidney stone is the formation of solid masses of variable size, from the crystallization of substances excreted in the urinary tract, including the kidneys; He said that the condition has increased exponentially not only in Yucatán but throughout the world.
“There are more and more cases of kidney stones, I’m talking about the whole world, although in Mexico we don’t have much information, we know from studies that have been carried out that Yucatan is the entity that has the most cases of lithiasis in its population.”
He indicated that due to the prevalence of the condition in Yucatán, it has become a public health problem.
“For us it becomes a public health problem, because the number of cases is greater than the services that we can offer, that is, the demand exceeds us. For example, I can almost guarantee that Hraepy is the hospital with the most cases. attend, we are practically the mecca of lithiasis in Mexico”
“Of these substances, the most important are calcium, phosphorus, uric acid and oxalate, however, we have some substances that are inhibitors of stone formation such as magnesium and urine proteins, when the urine is saturated, it is That is to say, they do not dissolve because no water crystallizes, which are normal as long as it is not in excess,” he said.
He commented that the most important risk factors that generate kidney stones are obesity, diabetes, eating a lot of salt, animal proteins, sugary drinks and even global warming.
“What all these factors do is change the composition of the urine, and this causes stones to form. It should be mentioned that half of the people who have a stone today will form another one in at least 10 years.”
He commented that in the case of Yucatán the stones are mainly made up of oxalate and phosphate, and it is diagnosed depending on each person. “In the case of pregnant women and children, they are done with ultrasound, but most are done with a simple abdominal tomography. The symptoms that occur due to the condition are pain, blood in the urine and urinary infections, however, In Yucatán many are asymptomatic and are detected because they come to consult for something else, the worst thing is that they are usually very large and damage the kidney more quickly,” he said.
He highlighted that, in the State, lithiasis is a very important cause of chronic or terminal kidney disease, that is, people who need dialysis to be able to live; He assured that all the factors to produce stones are found in the entity: high rates of obesity, diabetes, poor diet, heat, a lot of food with salt, consumption of soft drinks and others.
