Kidney Health and Kidney Disease Basics
Description
The kidneys are a pair of fist-sized organs located at the bottom of the rib cage. There is one kidney on each side of the spine.
Kidneys are essential to having a healthy body. They are mainly responsible for filtering waste products, excess water, and other impurities out of the blood. These toxins are stored in the bladder and then removed during urination.
The kidneys also regulate pH, salt, and potassium levels in the body. They produce hormones that regulate blood pressure and control the production of red blood cells. The kidneys even activate a form of vitamin D that helps the body absorb calcium.
Kidney disease affects approximately 37 million American adults. It occurs when your kidneys become damaged and cannot perform their function. Damage may be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure, and various other long-term (chronic) conditions.
Kidney disease can lead to other health problems, including weak bones, nerve damage, and malnutrition.
If the disease gets worse over time, your kidneys may stop working completely. This means that dialysis will be required to perform the function of the kidneys. Dialysis is a treatment that filters and purifies the blood using a machine. It cannot cure kidney disease, but it can prolong your life.
You must log in or register a new account in order to contact the publisher
Useful information
- Avoid scams by acting locally or paying with PayPal
- Never pay with Western Union, Moneygram or other anonymous payment services
- Don't buy or sell outside of your country. Don't accept cashier cheques from outside your country
- This site is never involved in any transaction, and does not handle payments, shipping, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"