For a 4-year-old boy, Alex Zellers has been dealing with a very big problem.

“I had stones,” Zellers said

Zellers had kidney stones so large they had to be surgically removed, pediatric urologist Dr. Greg Tasian with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said.

“Your body doesn't absorb certain amino acids, and that cystine accumulates and crystallizes in the urine, forming stones early in life,” Tasian said.

Zellers has recurrent UTI's and blood in his urine, and there is no cure.

Although Zellers' stones are rare, Tasian says he is seeing more and more kids with kidney stones due to a combination of factors.

The factors include kids eating more ultra-processed foods, overuse of antibiotics and hotter temperatures causing dehydration.

“As the world becomes warmer through climate change, that is expected to increase the number of stones,” Tasian said.

The three most important things one can do to reduce your chance of developing kidney stones is to drink plenty of water, drink less sugary drinks and decrease your salt intake.

Zellers will always be at risk for developing stones, but with careful watching and medication, he should be able to control them.

Kidney stones can cause higher risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks, as well as higher risk of fractures, and loss of kidney function.

Watch the video above for the full story.