To keep your body functioning properly, waste products and excess fluid must be removed on a regular basis. To do this, you have two bean-shaped kidneys… each about the size of your fist… located on either side of your spine just below your rib cage.
Your kidneys filter and return to the bloodstream about 190 litres of blood every day. In doing so they produce up to 2 litres of urine that contain the waste products your body needs to get rid of.
There are many things that lead to kidney failure. High blood pressure, diabetes, lupus, genetics and kidney stones, to name a few. Kidney problems will lead to chronic kidney or renal failure, if left untreated.
Our kidneys are an amazing creation. They are more complex than we can imagine, and keep functioning with very little regard from us, until something goes wrong.
The two small organs are located in the lower back on each side of the spine. Their main purpose is to filter the blood and control the levels of potassium, salts, and acids.
The filtering structures are small clusters of blood vessels called glomeruli. When they are working properly, they allow the excretion of waste materials into the urine while retaining water, to keep you from dehydrating. There are different types of kidney disease that will hinder the work of the kidneys.
A kidney ache could be a symptom of a serious problem, and if left unchecked can lead to complications. If ever you or anyone you know experiences pain where the kidneys are located, you must consult a doctor immediately. You should not ignore such symptoms.
When people think of kidney failure, they usually think of them in terms of bladder and kidney symptoms. By consuming enough water and avoiding foods that can irritate the kidneys, many people think they will be able to avoid these.
However, often this is not always the case. This is because the kidneys have many functions and therefore when things go wrong, kidney failure symptoms are much more widespread and harder to detect.
In fact sometimes the symptoms may not seem directly related to the kidneys at first glance. But here, by understanding some of the major roles of the kidneys we will see how these kidney failure symptoms occur.