The kidneys are oval-shaped organs that are located on either side of the spine in the lower back. The kidneys are the body's blood filters. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases (NIDDK) reports that the kidneys filter 200 quarts of blood, and coordinate the removal of 2 quarts of waste products from the body per day. Several different diseases may cause the kidneys to function poorly, or fail to function at all. These diseases are often called renal diseases because "renal" is the clinical term for "kidney."
Diabetic Kidney Disease
Diabetes causes elevated blood sugar levels that can ultimately damage the kidneys. The NIDDK reports that high blood pressure, which is a complication of diabetes, can also contribute to renal disease. While medication and diet can help to manage the blood sugar of a person with diabetes, poorly managed diabetes can cause irreversible kidney damage.
Polycystic Kidney Disease
Merck Manuals, an online medical library, reports that polycystic kidney disease is caused by a defective gene, causing this form of renal disease to be inherited from generation to generation. Polycystic renal disease is characterized by the growth of many cysts, which are fluid-filled sacs, in both kidneys. The disease causes the kidneys themselves to grow larger, but there is less functioning tissue with which to filter the blood. Symptoms can be mild to moderate, and include pain, blood in the urine, and the pain from the development of kidney stones.
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are a type of renal disease whereby small, hard, sharp stones develop in the kidneys due to the precipitation of molecules, such as calcium and uric acid, out of the blood. Kidney stones are quite common, and the University of Maryland Medical Center reports that between 240,00 and 720,000 people in the United States experience kidney stones every year. Kidney stones are four times more common in men then women. Whether the stones get caught in the kidney itself, or in the ureter, which is the hollow tube that brings urine from the kidney to the bladder, kidney stones can cause very intense pain. The pain can be localized to the lower back region, where the kidneys are located, in the abdomen, or in the genital area. Other symptoms include nausea and vomiting, fever and chills.
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Because renal cell carcinoma accounts for 90 percent of kidney cancer cases, it is often referred to as simply as "renal cell cancer," according to the American Cancer Society. Renal cell carcinoma can cause one or several tumors to grow in one or both kidneys. If cancer is found in only one kidney, that kidney can be removed without any detrimental effect on the person's health. Cancer that has metastasized, which is the clinical term meaning that the cancer has spread, is much harder to treat than cancer that is confined to its original location.
