A urologist in Taichung has warned people not to drink too much tea instead of water after he treated a 63-year-old man last month for kidney stones.
The man, surnamed Ho (何), enjoys tea, often forgoing water, Everan Hospital urologist Shih Hung-wen (石宏文) said.
Ho sought medical attention after seeing blood in his urine, Shih said.
Tests showed he had 0.7cm to 0.8cm kidney stones in his left and right ureters, Shih said.
The stones had blocked the ureters, resulting in hydronephrosis, he said, adding that the man was recovering well three weeks after undergoing ureteroscopic lithotripsy and that the signs of hematuria had disappeared.
Ho said that when he was in his 30s, he passed a kidney stone with the help of medication, but in the recent case, the stones were more difficult to dislodge.
He typically drinks tea and seldom water, but after this incident, he would make a change, Ho said.
Ninety percent of people with kidney stones have calcium stones, Shih said.
Too much tea can increase the risk of developing calcium oxalate stones, because tea is rich in oxalic acid, he said, adding that drinking tea is not the same as drinking water.
The chances that stones will block both ureters at the same time are not high, but it can occur when stones fall from the kidneys at the same time, he said.
If this occurs, kidney function could be affected and blockage could lead to hydronephrosis, inflammation or even atrophy, resulting in permanent damage, Shih said.
Ho is lucky he was treated in time, the urologist said.
Ureteroscopic lithotripsy works by inserting an ureteroscope into the ureters through the urinary tract under general anesthesia, he said.
After the stones have been located, an intracorporeal lithotripter is used to break them up, he said.
Large pieces are removed, after which a double-J ureteral stent is implanted to facilitate urine flow, he said.
Most people are released from hospital two to three days after the procedure, unless they are in obvious discomfort, Shih said.
Eight to 10 percent of Taiwanese are affected by the condition, with summer being the peak period, he said.
To prevent kidney stones, people should stay hydrated, avoid excessively salty food, maintain a balanced diet and exercise, he said.
People should seek medical attention as soon as symptoms such as back pain and hematuria arise, he said.
Do not delay treatment simply because there is no pain, otherwise there could be permanent consequences, he added.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard