Normally, the kidneys function as part of the excretory system and help the body filter waste out of the blood, which is then excreted as urine. The kidneys also help maintain a healthy blood pressure level within the body by removing excess salt...
Kidneys filter salts, toxins and water from blood, and this body waste is then transferred to the bladder where it is excreted as urine. Each day, the kidneys process about 200 qt. of blood, converting it into what will be about 2 qt. of urine,...
According to the National Institutes of Health, nephrolitiasis, or kidney stone formation, is a very common disease, affecting nearly one in 10 people during their lifetimes. Between seven and 10 of every 1,000 hospital admissions are related to...
Kidney stones, also known as renal lithiasis, occur frequently in healthy adults. Approximately 70 to 90 percent of the crystals are small enough that they leave the kidney and pass through the urinary tract without a person noticing anything,...
The kidneys start to grow during the first month of fetal development. These organs produce urine and maintain normal levels of electrolytes and fluids in the body. Kidney problems that occur during fetal development could lead to complications...
Enlarged kidneys are uncommon and are usually related to a few specific disorders that are caused by birth defects, structural abnormalities, infection, pregnancy, blockage and injury. An enlarged kidney can only be felt occasionally during an...
Uropathy can be either of the reflux type, which is most often found in children, or of the obstructive type. If yours is the latter, it is important for your urologist to determine the location and duration of your condition. Chronic unilateral...
Kidney stones are hard clusters of material that develop in the urinary tract. The stones may be as small as a grain of salt or as large as a pea. More men than women suffer from kidney stones. The risk of developing kidney stones rises with a...
Determining kidney size for children is important in certain circumstances because enlarged kidneys can be evidence of obstruction along the ureters or urethral. Left untreated, some obstructions may lead to kidney failure. Kidney size is...
Enlarged kidneys are related to specific disorders caused by structural abnormalities, infection, birth defects, injury, blockage and pregnancy. Although enlarged kidneys are uncommon, they can be felt during physical examinations, usually when...
Your kidneys are vital organs about the size of your fist that are located in your abdomen. KidsHealth states that one of the primary jobs of your kidneys is to clear your blood of any metabolic waste products. Your kidneys are also responsible...
More than 50 million Americans have hypertension---blood pressure high enough to pose a serious health risk. Chronic or long-standing hypertension can lead to disease and have destructive effects on organs, especially the kidney, retina and blood...
Children's Hospital Boston explains that normally urine in the body flows from the kidneys down through the ureters and into the bladder. When something unusual happens in the urinary tract that prevents the urine from draining into or out of the...
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects approximately 65 million people in the U.S., according to the Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. Thirty percent of them don't know they have hypertension. The U.S. Department of Health and...
Bladder infections are the result of bacteria traveling up through the urethra and colonizing the bladder. If not properly treated, a bladder infection can ascend into the kidneys, resulting in a condition known a pyelonephritis. These bacterial...
According to the National institutes of Health, Carafate, or generic sucralfate, is an anti-ulcer medication used to treat stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers. Carafate works by forming a protective coating on ulcer sites and protecting them from...
Hydronephrosis is characterized by a warping or ballooning of the renal pelvis and calyxes in the kidney, caused by increased pressure inside the kidney due to a blockage to the free flow of urine. The renal pelvis is a funnel-like tube that forms...
Primary hypertension describes high blood pressure that occurs as a standalone medical condition. Most high blood pressure in adults is due to primary hypertension. However, high blood pressure can also occur as a complication of another medical...
Kidney stones, also known as renal lithiasis, are small crystals that form in the urinary tract. The stones can be composed of several different types of minerals and may be caused by medical conditions or disorders. The body often excretes small...
Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills are just a few of the symptoms associated with kidney stones. If you have ever received a kidney stones diagnosis, you are among the 10 percent of Americans who have had to deal with this painful...
Healthy adults typically have a blood potassium levels between 3.6 and 4.8 milliequivalents per liter, or mEq/L. If the amount of potassium in your blood exceeds 6.0 mEq/L, your doctor may diagnose you with a condition called hyperkalemia. Talk...
A pyeloplasty is a surgical procedure that removes a blockage between your kidney and ureter. Because a pyeloplasty requires a hospital stay and several weeks of recovery time, your capacity to exercise will be limited while you heal. Your doctor...
Swelling is part of your body’s natural response to inflammation from a traumatic injury, or it can signal that your body is having difficulty circulating fluids. Swelling that's concentrated in your calf or calves can simply result from...
Goji juice is made from the small, red goji berry, traditionally grown in Tibet, according to the Certified Organics website. Due to the berries' high levels of many vitamins and minerals, they have been used for centuries to promote good health,...
Kidney failure, also known as renal failure, is diagnosed when the kidneys cannot adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood. There are two forms of kidney failure, acute and chronic. Acute kidney failure occurs over a few days or...
Babies can develop enlarged kidneys---a condition known as hydronephrosis---while still in the womb, or after birth. This condition is the most frequently discovered problem revealed by ultrasound examinations of babies in the womb, notes the...
A kidney stone is essentially a hard rock that forms in the urinary tract. The National Institute of Health reports that more than 3.5 millon people a year seek medical help problems related to kidney stones. year. It is often described as the one...
The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. The prostate is situated just in front of the rectum, and below the urinary bladder. In young men, the prostate is about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the tube that carries urine...
Plastic can be a mysterious material to consumers. It serves so many purposes, yet very few really understand what's in it. As labeled for recycling purposes, seven different types of plastic make up common containers. In recent years, studies...
Bladder cancer can refer to any number of cancerous growths in the urinary bladder. Learn about bladder cancer and treatment options in this video.
