Potassium Citrate for Kidney Stone Prevention and Treatment
The amount of potassium citrate used in the medical industry is likely to increase as the world’s temperature increases. If this seems like a strange claim, read the information below brought to you by USP ingredient supplier Bell Chem.
The human body maintains a level of homeostasis where the average pH correlates to approximately 7.4. This number places the body in a slightly basic level. If the amount drops below a pH of 7, the condition is considered acidic.
Many kidney diseases are brought on by a lowered pH, including renal tubular acidosis, gout brought on by high uric acid levels, and varied types of kidney stones.
Acidic levels decrease with the introduction of the urinary alkalinizer potassium citrate (generally taken orally as an extended-release tablet), thereby not only alleviating existing gout and kidney problems, but also preventing these anomalies.
Climate change and potassium citrate increase
As the world warms, people perspire more frequently. Perspiration cools the human body and works effectively if the levels of water released are replenished. However, water is not always close at hand for many, and dehydration leads to many complications in the human body. One of these is an increase in the amount of kidney stones created and passed.
For those who have suffered through the agony of passing a kidney stone, an important preventative that cuts the likelihood of recurrence in half is simply drinking water. A few liters of water daily keep the body from becoming overly acidic by diluting the blood, which prevents the formation of all 4 types of kidney stones: calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate stones, cystine stones, struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) stones, and uric acid stones.
Calcium stones are the most common and are related to a concentration of calcium in the urine, which crystallizes into stones; cystine stones lead to cystinuria, a rare genetic disorder; struvite stones are the result of one of several bacterial infections; and uric acid stones contribute to the disease uric acid lithiasis.
Kidney stones, a common affliction
Currently 9% of United States adults suffer from kidney stones (nephrolithiasis) at least once during their lives. Depending on the type of kidney stones, methods of control or prevention may include the addition of calcium in the diet, controlling the formation of stones with potassium citrate, or increasing water intake. Hospitals and clinics should keep potassium citrate close at hand for their patients who are in the grips of nephrolithiasis or likely to pass kidney stones again.
Bell Chem is an USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including potassium citrate. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.