opinion

[leigh32]

My boyfriend is 32 and has been found to have crystals in his urine, went to the dr with frequency, and mild kidney area ache, no other symptoms although he has recently been found to have high systolic blood pressure accompanied with hot flushes and head pressure (the dr thinks this is due to the high bp) was just wondering what your opinion was of the crystals and also he has protien in his urine whenever he goes to the dr. the dr does not seem concerned just wondering what your opinion is. he normally drinks about 20 pints of lager a week if this is significant, although not drank any alcohol for 4 weeks now as feels ill with the head symptoms, he is also a smoker. im including these other things as i wonder if they are connected. any opinions would be helpfull, thanks.

[ChrisJacksonATX]

As a woman who has spent most of her life dealing with kidney disorder I do feel your pain. I have read in one book that discusses using foods for healing said that cigarettes irritate the skin in the bladder and tomatoes can as well if consumed in large quantities. I have heard from many sources, and discovered for myself, that alcohol is terrible on the urinary tract. Some people will complain of back pain the day after a drinking binge... well, that most likely is your kidney's screaming at you. Furthermore, consuming lots sugar can feed the bad bacteria that cause uti's (beer has a lot of carbs and sugar). According to one book I read a high protein diet can cause excess protein in your urine and cause stones which are never fun.

I have frequent kidney problems since they are malformed, and so I have found one GREAT TRICK with juice that will prevent an infection if it is done when you first feel irritation (before the infection has set it). Throughout the day I drink only water and cranberry juice, watch the sugar intake, but the rest of my diet is normal. Shortly before bed I guzzle as much LITE cran juice as I can. I usually start 2 hours or 1.5 hours before I go to bed and guzzle about a cup RIGHT before bed. I usually end up drinking about 32 ounces or so within the 2 hours or 1.5 hours before bed (1 quart, or half a bottle, perhaps a bit less and I weigh 120 lbs). The only downside is once i wake up I have to rush to the restroom but I end up feeling just fine.

I truly hope your his health improves soon.

Christina J

[Stephen Liroff, MD]

You mention several items that may have significance, but certainly do not make a definite diagnosis in and of themselves. The frequency, kidney area ache (I am assuming involvement of only one side of his back) and urinary crystals may point to a kidney stone though some blood in his urine would be more typical. The type of crystals would be significant also. A CT scan of his abdomen and pelvis or an intravenous urogram would be needed to make a definite diagnosis. Of course, his physician is in a much better position to figure out  what is significant and what is not than I am without the patient in front of me.
The significance of urinary protein is based on the quantity he excretes over a 24 hour period (less than 150 mg. per 24 hours is considered normal). Often a urinalysis will show a small amount of protein, especially if it the first portion voided as opposed to a "mid-stream" (middle portion of the volume voided). A twenty four hour urine collection  for protein will give the answer, if is persistent and more than a trace. It is a sign of medical (as opposed to surgical) kidney disease and may be related to his high blood pressure. He needs to keep in touch with his primary care physician to sort all of this out.
Hope that this all helps.
S.A.Liroff, M.D.