According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, your kidneys are a matched pair of organs that are essential to good health. They clean the blood of waste products and help keep your system in chemical balance. Damaged or diseased kidneys can result in complications that affect your heart and other systems.
HIstory
Your kidneys are about the size of your fist. They are located toward your back, under your ribs with one on each side of your spine. Their main job is to clean your blood of waste products resulting from metabolism and to maintain a chemical balance in your blood. They process about 200 quarts of blood each day. This processing action results in about two quarts of urine which is comprised of waste and extra water.
Significance
Diseases that affect your kidneys can also affect your heart. According to The Kidney Trust, many doctors believe that your heart and kidneys are one interlinked body system rather than two separate organs. If you have both heart and kidney disease it increases your risk of death from either. Unfortunately, your heart can be damaged very early during the beginning stages of kidney disease.
As explained by the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, the waste products your kidneys remove are comprised of the breakdown of normal cellular activity and the byproducts of the food you eat. You may hear medical professionals talk about "renal function." Renal is another term for kidney and it represents how well your kidneys perform their function of waste removal. If you have both of your kidneys and they are healthy, your renal function is 100 percent. You may have a reduction of 30 to 40 percent of kidney function and have no symptoms that you are aware of. Your kidney function can be measured by blood tests performed by your health-care provider.
Considerations
Your kidneys can be damaged for several reasons, which results in decreased performance. Kidney damage can happen quickly if you have been injured or poisoned or more gradually due to chronic illness including diabetes, hypertension or high blood pressure, specific kidney diseases caused by auto immune problems and infection or inherited and congenital kidney diseases and defects.
Certain types of over-the-counter pain medications can damage your kidneys when used chronically. Talk with your health-care provider to determine if the pain medication you use falls into this category.
Hypertension
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in kidney damage. Because your kidneys work with your heart to maintain a healthy balance, if your blood pressure is too high it signals your liver to release a hormone that makes your blood pressure go up even higher. If you have hypertension it is essential to keep your blood pressure in the normal range using medications, diet and exercise. You may need more than one medication or intervention to keep your blood pressure below the preferred range of 130/80. It is essential to work with your health-care provider and monitor your blood pressure on a regular schedule.
Potassium and Heart Rate
Potassium is found in many foods including fruits and vegetables such as bananas, oranges, potatoes, peas, beans and nuts. Your kidneys sense the level of potassium circulating in your blood. If blood potassium level gets too high, healthy kidneys will remove it during the filtering process. However, if your kidneys are damaged they may not be able to remove the excess potassium. High blood potassium levels can result in abnormal heart rate and rhythm. If this is a problem for you, your doctor may ask you to reduce the amount of potassium rich foods in your diet in addition to other interventions.
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