Tripelphosphates in the urine, phosphate stones in the kidneys - the cause of the diet, how to dissolve?

The acidity of urine plays a big role in the formation of stones. Depending on the reaction of urine, the chemical composition of the stones will be different. If the urine becomes alkaline, tripel phosphates are formed. These salts are often formed from large numbers of dead bacteria in patients most susceptible to viral infections.

Tripelphosphates in urine are often found in children of different ages and in elderly people with inflammatory processes in the urinary system. A feature of these salts is the rapid growth of urinary crystals and their transformation into stones of significant size in a short period of time.

These stones pose a great danger to the body. Due to the size of the stone, disturbances in the functioning of the kidney occur, which often leads to its removal. Therefore, the appearance of an increased amount of tripelphosphates in the urine is an indication for mandatory treatment.

How are they formed?

Several different types of salts are found in urine in laboratory tests, and one of them is tripel phosphate .

Unlike other compounds, this is considered one of the “aggressive” ones and the level of this element is mainly observed in urolithiasis, which can occur at any age.

But tripel phosphates themselves are not the cause of such a disease: in fact, they are only particles of stones - solid formations or, in common parlance, “stones” .

Deposited in the kidneys, urinary tract or bladder, such formations can be destroyed and washed out with urinary fluid, in which in such cases the content of tripelphosphates will be increased. But such salts are not always of pathological origin.

In every third pediatric patient, tripelphosphates appear due to a genetic predisposition, if at least one of the parents was diagnosed with urolithiasis.

In such cases, traces of these salts or they themselves are found in the child’s urine, but in minimal quantities, and this cannot be a cause for concern.

Often such formations are found in the urine of older people and young children, which is explained by problems with immunity . On the other hand, with corresponding pathologies, when such substances should be present, they may not be in the urine.

Medicine cannot yet answer the question of what causes such selectivity, and so far, when tripel phosphates are detected in the urine, the first suspicions concern urolithiasis and only then other possible causes are considered.

Prevention

To prevent the formation of uroliths, the following actions are recommended:

Replace low-quality drinking water with bottled or filtered water.
Monitor urine pH using special tests.
Keep the tray clean. A cat would rather wait until a walk than use a dirty toilet.
Prevent obesity. Prepared high quality feed is used. Active games are played regularly. Avoid the consumption of treats and human food.
Avoid hypothermia and overheating.
Undergo regular diagnostic examinations twice a year.

If a cat develops uroliths, it will have to change its lifestyle. A responsible fellinologist is able to provide a sick pet with satisfactory health and a long life.

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Their norm in urine analysis

Tripelphosphates, like many other salts, do not have a distinct structure and take on amorphous shapes , so it is impossible to express the presence of such salts in quantitative terms.

To indicate the content of these compounds, laboratory technicians use symbols with crosses, where the mark “+” (or “traces detected”) is the minimum content, and “++++” is the maximum amount.

One or two crosses in adults and children (for both of these categories the norm in this case is no different) are normal indicators and do not require additional diagnostic measures.

Three and four crosses are a sign of pathological conditions that require examination by specialized specialists.

What are tripel phosphates?

Normal healthy urine contains substances that protect the urinary organs from the formation of stones.

These include:

citrate;
magnesium;
pyrophosphate.

These elements quickly break down chemicals that can crystallize, clump, and become trapped at the base of the buds. The lack of these components, as well as the presence of certain factors, causes the appearance of hard crystals in one or both kidneys.

Stones localized in the kidneys, namely in the pelvis or calyx, are called tripelphosphates. They appear in the alkali present in the body, which causes a lot of trouble for humans.

In their composition, the researchers found:

ammonium;
salt;
magnesium.

Such crystals are capable of growing very quickly over weeks and even months. Failure to get rid of salt leads to the development of large branches that can occupy the entire cavity of the kidneys.

In the urine of healthy children and adults there is no salt, ammonium and other substances, since the development of tripel phosphates in the body occurs only as a result of increased production of ammonia in urine.

Doctors say that the only situation in which these crystals form in the urine is infection of the upper urinary organs - which is why tripel phosphates are also sometimes called infection stones, which cause a lot of harm to human health.

On average, tripelphosphates are formed in 31% of people suffering from the development of formations in a paired organ. Moreover, in most cases they are found in women than in men.

If a person is found to have tripel phosphates in his urine, he needs urgent treatment, since if tumors actively grow, they can cause serious health complications.

Reasons for exceeding the norm

An increased level of tripelphosphates in human urine may indicate the presence of the following painful conditions and disorders:

reduced level of acidity, at which phosphate salts are formed in the body;
rickets, a rare pathology for adults;
impaired renal function, in which the renal glomeruli slowly filter incoming fluids, resulting in salts entering the urine.

In children, in addition to these reasons, the formation of such salts may also be due to imperfect metabolic mechanisms, which is especially typical for infants.

Usually, up to five years of age, metabolic processes are just forming, and the presence of “extra” salts in urine can be considered normal , if this is not accompanied by additional painful symptoms.

At any age, the cause of an increase in the amount of tripelphosphates in the urine can also be considered to be poor nutrition .

For example, such salts are found in the urine of vegetarians, since fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of phosphorus, which is not completely absorbed by the body.

Types of uroliths

There are two types of urinary stones observed in cats:

Struvites (Tripelphosphates).
Oxalates are compounds of oxalic acid.

Struvite

Formed in alkaline urine. They represent a complex mixture of salts, in which ions of trivalent Phosphorus, as well as Calcium, Ammonium, and Magnesium predominate. Crystallization may be caused by dehydration.

Up to 80% of uroliths in cats are represented by Tripelphosphates. These are loose or hardened formations of yellow or cream color. Under a microscope, crystals with diamond-shaped edges are observed in the urine.

Struvite

Struvite can be dissolved with medication and is radiopaque, which makes conservative treatment of cats possible.

Oxalates

They are formed at acidic pH of urine, rapidly crystallize, and have a complex structure with sharp edges. Stones of increased hardness are difficult to dissolve, so conservative treatment is ineffective.

Oxalate urolite

Struvite is formed under the influence of the following factors:

Sufficient amount of mineral salts.
Duration of stay in the lumen of the urinary canal.
Ph urine {amp}gt; 7, 0.
There is protein in the urine.

Symptoms

The first symptom of elevated tripel phosphate levels can be detected even before urine testing. This is pain in the urinary ducts and the appearance of traces of blood in the urine during urination. You should also pay attention to the smell of urine, which becomes too strong.

Other signs of the presence of tripelphosphates in the urine are:

frequent depression;
increased fatigue;
nausea, vomiting and lack of appetite;
regular dull and aching pain in the abdomen;
slight increase in body temperature;
chills and fever;
constant thirst.

In an advanced state, such a disorder can lead to the formation of stones , which leads to a decrease in the amount of urine excreted due to deformations of the renal calyces and pelvis.

Methods for detecting tripel phosphate salts

First, a physical examination is performed and a medical history is taken. Based on clinical symptoms, a decision is made to prescribe additional examinations:

complete blood count and serum electrolytes;
assessment of prothrombin time;
creatinine measurement.

A urine test should be performed several days before surgery, and prophylactic antibiotic therapy should be administered 24 hours before. Additional aspects of urolithiasis must be taken into account, since up to 50% of patients have concomitant metabolic disorders.

A 24-hour urine collection (to test calcium, oxalate, uric acid, citrate, phosphate, magnesium, sodium, and pH) helps identify struvite. If plasma calcium levels are elevated, they should be rechecked along with parathyroid hormone levels.

Salts oxalates in the urine of a child

Diagnostics

After detecting an increased amount of tripelphosphates in the urinary fluid, the patient is prescribed additional diagnostic methods to identify the pathologies that cause this disorder:

The abdomen is palpated to identify general pathologies.
To determine the level of leukocytes, platelets and protein metabolic products, a biochemical urine test is performed. This allows you to detect inflammatory processes in the body.
If the reason for the formation of an increased amount of phosphate salts is the activity of pathogenic microflora, MRI, CT and ultrasound are additionally prescribed.

Treatment can begin only after identifying the cause, since there are no general and universal methods for reducing tripelphosphates in the urine.

Monitoring babies with phosphaturia

Treatment of both types of phosphate nephropathy in children is carried out by a pediatrician and in parallel by a nephrologist, and is carried out on an outpatient basis. Treatment is prescribed, a schedule for visiting the doctor and taking tests.

Hospitalization of a child is carried out if severe concomitant diseases are detected:

inflammation of the urinary system;
urinary tract infection;
kidney hemangioma;
pyelonephritis.

Also, hospitalization can be carried out for a short time if a complex examination is required to clarify the diagnosis.

In case of dimestabolic nephropathy - impaired metabolism and resulting damage to the kidneys, the child is given a group. Examination by a therapist after a course of treatment is carried out monthly. Nephrologist consultations every 3 months. It is mandatory to take a urine test once a month, using the Zimnitsky method to test the concentration ability of the kidneys.

Drug treatment

Drug therapy for increased amounts of tripelphosphates is appropriate only if additional examination reveals stones in the body.

If such formations are not yet dense enough, drugs can be prescribed to dissolve phosphates and evacuate them from the body.

In the presence of inflammatory processes, sulfonamide antibiotics (Biseptol, Ceftriaxone) can be used.

To facilitate the removal of salt compounds and accelerate the removal of pathogenic microflora, diuretics are prescribed (most often Canephron).

When treated with antibiotics, a course of probiotics is prescribed as an additional treatment to restore intestinal microflora . Vitamin complexes may also be prescribed.

Adequate treatment also requires the patient to follow a certain diet , which depends on a number of factors (the general condition of the patient, the presence of other chronic ailments, the person’s age).

But general recommendations for such a violation of the composition of urine include the inclusion of lean meat and fish and any legumes in the diet.

At the same time, you should avoid strong coffee and tea, sour fruits and vegetables, fatty dairy products, sweets, baked goods, carbonated drinks and smoked foods.

Read our article about what to do if there are phosphates in your urine.

Risk group

Pets at risk for developing urolithiasis include:

Without free access to water. As a result, the urine becomes more concentrated.
Those who receive a large amount of proteins or minerals magnesium and phosphorus in their diet (when eating fish and plant foods).
Leading a sedentary lifestyle.
People suffering from obesity due to metabolic disorders.
Castrated early (due to hormonal imbalance).
Suffering from genitourinary diseases (cystitis, urethritis, nephritis).

We invite you to familiarize yourself with: The best holistic food for sterilized cats Holistic food for sterilized cats in the diet The following
breeds are susceptible to the formation of tripelphosphates:

Siamese

, Maine Coon,

Burmese

, Persian,

Cartesian

. Males are more prone to struvite urolithiasis than male cats.

Surgical intervention

If the stones have already become too dense and the levels of tripel phosphates in the urine are at their maximum , only surgical intervention will help, which can be of the following types:

Lithotripsy. Remote wave destruction of salt formations, which subsequently come out crushed in urine.
Abdominal surgery. The simplest option. The peritoneum and internal organs in which stones form are opened, and such compounds are removed manually by the surgeon.
Percutaneous nephrolitholapaxy. It is used in difficult cases when crushing is no longer useful. During this operation, a puncture is made in the lumbar region through which stones are removed.
Transurethral extraction. A special instrument with a miniature camera and a device that emits ultrasound or laser radiation is inserted through the ureter, which destroys the stones.
Laparoscopy. Several small punctures are made through which the stones are removed.

The type of operation is determined by the attending physician, who takes into account the patient’s condition, the size and properties of the formations, contraindications, physiological characteristics of the patient’s body and a number of other factors.

Diet features

For people whose test results show elevated levels of phosphates in their urine and feces, doctors do not immediately prescribe drug treatment. At first, they try to correct the situation with the help of diet and taking a vitamin-mineral complex (the body especially needs vitamin D). You definitely need to drink a lot of water, and your diet should include the following products:

cereals;
grain crops;
beans, nuts;
food with the highest protein content (lean meat, fish);
potatoes, cucumbers, green peas, zucchini;
berries and fruits.

When developing a menu, you need to keep in mind allergies, and if there are any to one or another product, it needs to be excluded from the diet. Alcohol, sweet pastries, sweets, smoked foods, salty foods, and full-fat milk are prohibited. You need to eat small meals five to six times a day.