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About the Kidneys

© Christine O'Connor

The kidneys, located in the middle of you back at the waist and just below your bottom ribs are capable of filtering 200 quarts of blood per day. These bean shaped organs are responsible for removing wastes from the blood, removing excess fluid and maintaining healthy levels of electrolytes such as potassium and sodium.

The kidneys are made up of nephrons. Each kidney contains about one million nephrons. These nephrons contain the glomeruli, little filters, that cleanse the blood, and tubules, which are tubes that carry away the excess fluid and wastes that the body cannot use.

The kidneys also are responsible for making two important hormones. The first hormone being Erythropoeitin. This hormone helps in the production of red blood cells. Another hormone, Renin, is a hormone that helps to regulate blood pressure to a certain degree.

Many things can go wrong in the body when the kidneys do not work properly. The problem is that most symptoms of malfunctioning kidneys do not show up until more than 70% of their functioning is diminished. When 80% function is gone, one is in renal failure, and with only 10% function, a person is in end stage renal failure. It is at this point that renal replacement therapy by either dialysis or a kidney transplant is usually necessary in order for a person to sustain life.

Simple blood tests can determine if your kidneys are working at 100% or not, but if you have no other medical problems, it's unlikely that you will visit your doctor to have your blood drawn for these or any other tests. The blood tests that measure the creatinine level and BUN (blood urea nitrogen) in the blood can determine how well the kidneys are working. These 2 tests are part of a "chem 7" workup.

If during a routine blood work up, it is found that you do not have all of your kidney function, diet, and controlling your blood pressure can help to prolong further decline in your kidney function.

What are some of the symptoms kidney failure brings?

Because the ability to make Erythropoeitin is diminished you may feel tired as your red blood cell count is lowered causing anemia. It may also make you short of breath and easily fatigued and may make you paler than normal.

Because of the buildup of toxins in your blood stream, you may feel nauseous, vomit, or have a bad or metallic taste in your mouth. Your ability to think straight might be compromised.