Know your Kidney?

Your kidneys filter wastes from your blood and regulate other functions of your body. When your kidneys fail, you need treatment to replace the work of healthy kidneys, to survive.

What are Kidneys?

They are Twin organs that perform vital life maintaining functions.

• Clean waste materials and excrete excess fluid from the blood
• Filter the blood, retaining essential compounds, excreting the others
• Help regulate blood pressure and red blood cell count
• Are concerned with insulin metabolism and hence, indirectly helps in diabetic control
• Regulate the amount of calcium in the body, making your bones strong

What diseases affect the Kidneys?

Almost 50% of all patients with kidney failure have diabetes for at least 15 years. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure. High blood pressure which is not treated or poorly controlled can cause kidneys to fail. There are some diseases called glomer-ulo-neph-ritis which can also cause kidney failure. Not much is known about these diseases which can affect even young children or older individuals. Sometimes, one is born with kidney failure or can develop kidney failure within a few years of birth. These are called congenital diseases.

Infections in the urinary system which are poorly treated or not treated at all can sometimes lead to kidney failure. Kidney stones which are not removed in time can cause the kidneys to fail. Kidney diseases can attack anyone at any age. Some diseases can be cured. In other cases, treatment can relieve pain, slow the disease process and prolong life.

When both kidneys fail to function, and the waste and poisonous substances accumulate in the blood the condition is referred to as kidney failure.

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