The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located near the spine, below the rib cage. While they perform their functions, we forget how important they are. However, any disruption to their function can have devastating consequences.
Why does the body need kidneys?
The kidneys' main function is to effectively filter waste products and remove them from the body. They also produce several important hormones and vitamins.
Every day, the kidneys filter about 1,500 liters of blood, extracting from it the nutrients, water, and waste products that the body needs to eliminate from it, which are necessary for their continuous functioning.
The body eliminates waste from 500 ml to 10 liters daily in the form of urine. Together with the bladder, the kidneys form an efficient, autonomous, and compact waste removal system, requiring minimal operating costs and maintenance.
What prevents the kidneys from functioning normally?
Although the list of factors that cause disorders in this ideal system is quite extensive, dietary and lifestyle issues dominate among the main causes of kidney disease.
More than a third of patients whose kidney disease reaches an irreversible stage “start” with diabetes, and one in eight comes to this condition as a result of high blood pressure.
Only one in twenty patients develop kidney disease due to genetic causes. Even rarer are the diseases caused by immune disorders and the toxic side effects of certain medications.
Often, causes and consequences are linked both directly and inversely. For example, cardiovascular disease is a risk factor for kidney disease. But kidney disease also increases the risk of developing cardiovascular problems.
How do kidney diseases manifest themselves?
The insidious nature of kidney disease is that its symptoms are nonspecific and appear relatively late. Before they become noticeable, the kidneys can lose 90% of their function.
Common symptoms of illness, including nausea, taste changes, loss of appetite, fatigue, and itching, reflect the accumulation of toxins in the body, which are normally eliminated by healthy kidneys. Patients are much less likely to seek medical attention due to swelling, blood, or protein in the urine (excessive foaming of the urine).
How to restore kidney function?
Today, the kidneys are the only major organ whose failure does not necessarily result in death. Thanks to advances in medical technology, patients with partial or complete kidney failure can lead relatively active lives even outside of hospitals.
The process of alternatively filtering the body's waste products is called dialysis. There are two main types of dialysis: peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis.
Peritoneal dialysis utilizes the filtration properties of the patient's peritoneum. A special solution that accumulates toxins is infused into the abdominal cavity through a catheter. As the dialysate becomes contaminated, it must be changed every few hours.
Hemodialysis is performed several times a week. Blood from the patient's vein is pumped into a filtering machine—an “artificial kidney.” After purification, the blood is returned to the body.
Dialysis can support the lives of patients whose kidney function remains at 10-15%, but the procedure does not restore organ function.
The need for dialysis disappears after a kidney transplant. This procedure is performed under general anesthesia.
A donor kidney is typically perceived by the immune system as a foreign object. To prevent rejection, patients are required to take lifelong immune-suppressing medications, leaving them vulnerable to various infections.
How to take care of your kidneys?
Advances in medical technology—dialysis and transplant—help maintain an acceptable quality of life even with complete or partial loss of kidney function. However, these methods are associated with additional risks and inconveniences.
Prevention is better than the most modern treatment. Kidneys don't require special attention or preventative measures. Taking care of your kidneys is the same as taking care of your overall health.
People who eat a healthy, balanced diet low in salt, fat, and sugar, drink enough fluids, maintain a healthy weight, exercise, do not smoke, and limit alcohol consumption generally create favorable conditions for their kidneys and do not put them at risk of disease.