- Kidneys are the two bean-shaped organs located towards the back of the body on either side of the spine near the waistline.
- Each kidney measures around 10 to 12 cm long and weight is around 160 to 180 gms.
- Other surrounding organs and the lower ribs protect them.
- Normal functioning Kidneys serve the body in several very important ways :
- Clean blood & remove toxic waste products such as urea & creatinine, the by-products of protein metabolism.
- Balance salt and water to control fluid in the body.
- Produce hormones that regulate blood volume and blood pressure.
- Make erythropoietin which stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells which carry oxygen and maintains Hemoglobin.
- Produce Vitamin D which is important for strong and healthy bones.
- Control the amount of potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and uric acid in the blood.
In case of kidney failure, kidneys are no longer able to excrete toxic waste products into the urine and they accumulate and cause different symptoms.
Two types of kidney failure
- Acute Kidney Failure:
- It can occur because of sudden trauma to the kidneys, stones, infection, drugs etc. The kidneys may stop working for a short while and then recover slowly partially or fully after timely treatment of the correct cause.
- Initial Tests: Serum Creatinine, Serum Electrolytes, CBC, Urine Re, Ultrasound KUB
- Chronic Kidney Failure:
- This is progressive damage to kidneys to an irreversibly stage over a long period, often many years. This can develop because of many causes mainly diabetes, hypertension, drugs, smoking or some inherited abnormalities. Advanced Chronic Kidney Failure/ Disease (CKD) is known as End Stage Renal disease (ESRD). There are 5 stages of progressive damage. Stage 5 i.e. last stage is End stage Renal Disease.
- Initial Tests: Serum Creatinine, Serum Electrolytes, CBC, Urine Re, Spot Urine Albumin Creatinine Ratio, Ultrasound KUB
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