Urine tests are shown for both healthy children and babies with signs of various diseases. However, changes in the analyzes do not always indicate serious illness. Let's find out why phosphates can appear in children's urine and what this may be due to.
What is it?
This is the name given to the salts of phosphoric acid. Their excretion in urine is called phosphaturia.
Amorphous phosphate crystals
Amorphous substances are called substances that do not have a clear structure; in relation to salts, they say so about inclusions in urine without a clear form. They are often detected in children, because in childhood metabolic processes are not fully established and the balance is often disturbed. If such phosphates appear in the child's urine and there are no other changes in the analyzes, usually only diet is prescribed to correct the indicator.
Norm
Small amounts of phosphates, which are found in a clinical analysis of urine, are a variant of the norm. They are most commonly found in the urine of children under five years of age. If “+” or “++” is marked on the analysis form, there is no need to worry - such indicators are acceptable.
In a nursing child
The appearance of an excess of phosphate salts in the urine of a baby can be both a sign of malnutrition of a child (if he uses complementary foods) or a nursing mother, and a symptom of kidney disease or disorders of calcium and phosphorus metabolism.
Symptoms
Most children excreting excess phosphate in the urine does not have any symptoms. Often, the only sign of phosphaturia is that the child's urine may become cloudy or flakey.
Causes
The main reason for the detection of a high concentration of phosphate salts in children's urine is nutritional disorders. In older children, high levels of phosphate in the urine can be caused by drinking carbonated drinks containing phosphoric acid.
Other problems that cause an increase in the number of phosphates in baby urine include:
- Rickets;
- Infectious processes in the kidneys;
- Congenital kidney disease;
- Diabetes.
Treatment
The main treatment for phosphaturia is to change the baby's diet. The baby's diet should be limited to foods containing calcium and phosphorus. They also reduce the consumption of foods that can stimulate gastric secretion and excite the nervous system. The therapeutic diet for this pathology is number 14.
Diet
In most cases, after correction of nutrition, the excretion of excess phosphate in the urine stops. Your child's daily menu should include protein foods, such as lean fish and meat.
Proteins in the diet are calculated based on the amount of 1 gram for each kilogram of the child's weight. Also, give your baby meals made from cereals and vegetables, sour berries and fruits. If there are no contraindications, the child is shown to drink plenty of fluids.
In the diet of a baby with excessive excretion of phosphates in the urine, they limit:
- Dairy and fermented milk products, cheeses;
- Fresh baked goods and pastries;
- Salted and canned foods, as well as smoked meats;
- Fatty fish and fatty meats;
- Sweets (caramel, marmalade and chocolate);
- Eggs (they are given only boiled and in small quantities);
- Products that include cocoa;
- Fried dishes.
However, it is impossible to completely exclude products that are a source of phosphorus, since this element is very important for the musculoskeletal system.
Folk remedies
For phosphaturia, decoctions based on lingonberries, rowan berries, oat straw, mint leaves and other plants are recommended. However, before giving any such remedy to your child, you should talk about its use with the doctor who is observing your baby.
Possible consequences
The main risk of phosphaturia is the formation of stones in the urinary tract. Note that these stones have a porous structure and soft consistency, so they are quite easy to crush and remove from the body.
If you do not get rid of phosphate stones in time, they can cause hydronephrosis, renal colic, infections or kidney tumors.
Prevention
To avoid disturbances in calcium-phosphorus metabolism, it is important to balance the child's nutrition, enrich his food with vitamins and other nutrients necessary for age, and also monitor the baby's sufficient drinking regime.
