Doctors Remove 300 Kidney Stones From Woman Who Only Drank Bubble Tea

Doctors in Taiwan removed more than 300 stones from a woman's kidney who used to hydrate herself only with sweetened drinks instead of water, the Independent reported. The 20-year-old woman identified as Xiao Yu was admitted to Chi Mei Hospital in the city of Tainan last week after she began suffering from a fever along with serious pain in her lower back.

An ultrasound scan showed that her right kidney was swollen with fluid and had hundreds of kidney stones in it. According to the CT scan, the stones were between 5mm and 2cm in size, which had an appearance similar to ''little steamed buns.'' An ensuing blood test also indicated an increase in white blood cell count.

When questioned about her condition, she told doctors that she did not enjoy drinking water and instead hydrated herself with beverages such as bubble tea, fruit juice, and alcoholic beverages for years. This resulted in chronic dehydration and a build-up of minerals in her kidneys.

Doctors subsequently performed a 2-hour-long surgery called percutaneous nephrolithotomy and extracted about 300 stones from her kidney. After the procedure, the woman's condition was stable and she was discharged a few days later.

Surgeon Dr Lim Chye-yang, who carried out the procedure, said kidney stones can be caused by some things, including insufficient water intake or diets high in calcium and protein, as per Metro. 

''Proper water intake is crucial for diluting minerals in urine. If the body lacks enough water, the minerals in the urine can easily become concentrated, increasing the risk of stone formation,'' he said.

On average, men are three times more likely to develop kidney stones. The doctor added that in Taiwan, men are thrice as likely to develop kidney stones than women, with 9.6% of Taiwanese developing kidney stones in their lifetime.