The liver is the largest organ within the human body, and it has many functions. It removes toxins, stores iron and makes bile, plasma proteins and clotting factors. The two kidneys make vitamin D and the erythropoietin hormone, eliminate waste,...
Your urine can turn red as a result of certain medications, as a symptom of a disease called porphyria, owing to the presence of myoglobin protein normally found in your muscles, or from consuming food coloring, rhubarb or even beets. When the...
Strenuous exercise can cause hematuria, or blood in the urine. While it can occur with any type of activity, runners are particularly prone to this problem, according to MayoClinic.com. In most cases, it is no cause for concern but see a doctor to...
Bladder carcinoma is a form of cancer that originates in your bladder (your body's receptacle for urine). An abnormal growth of cells usually forms on the inner lining of your bladder. Some risk factors for developing bladder carcinoma include...
While some cases of blood in your urine can be indicative of serious conditions, such as kidney problems, many instances occur as a result of taking aspirin or prescribed medication or engaging in strenuous exercise. While vitamin B-12 deficiency...
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus--HCV. The infection causes swelling or inflammation of the liver that in turn prevents its major function of eliminating waste products such as alcohol from the body. Hepatitis C can...
White blood cells are not found in the urine of healthy people. This symptom can be secondary to a number of diseases ranging from easily treated urinary tract infections to chronic kidney disease that ends in renal failure. Since this symptom...
The prostate gland has the shape and size of a walnut, and is located right underneath the urinary bladder. The gland secretes a milky fluid which becomes part of the fluid that holds the sperm. Because the sperm cannot move well in an acidic...
The most common type of kidney tumor in America is a renal cell carcinoma, and the number of cases has been increasing. As of 2007, there were approximately 51,000 cases and 8,000 deaths every year from renal cancer, according to David Swanson,...
Unfortunately, as of 2010, there are no reporting requirements for lupus, so the number of patients is not precisely known. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that between 322,000 to possibly over a million people in the United States were...
A UTI, or urinary tract infection, is an infection of the urinary tract, which is made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Urine is filtered by the kidneys to the ureters, which in turn fill the bladder. The bladder is emptied of...
Hematuria means having red blood cells in your urine. You can have gross hematuria or microscopic hematuria. Gross hematuria means you can see that your urine is bloody or red. In microscopic hematuria, you won't be able to tell that there is...
If you've been a runner for a long time but suddenly get bladder pain when running, its understandable that you would be concerned. Several potential conditions, including an infection and a chronic condition called interstitial cystitis, could be...
Nitric oxide is a gas that the body creates naturally. Nitric oxide is composed of one atom of nitrogen bonded to one atom of oxygen, with the chemical formula NO. This molecule contains an unpaired electron, making it a free radical. Its role...
Coconut oil contains a high amount of saturated fat. Indeed, it has more than lard and even butter. Due to the high amount, consuming coconut oil can elevate your level of blood cholesterol and increase your risk for developing heart disease. It...
Urine cytology is a test that looks for abnormalities of the cells that are present in your urine. Sometimes, foods you eat can change the results of your test. Ingestion of vitamin C, for example, might skew the results of a urine cytology test....
Most people have some sediment in their urine. Whether this is normal depends upon what is in the sediment and how much sediment is present. Sediment in urine consists of cells, debris and other solid material. When a patient provides a urine...
Urine analysis is commonly called urinalysis. You provide a urine specimen to your doctor, who in turn sends it to a lab to be analyzed. The most routine type of urinalysis involves a dipstick test in which an indicator stick is dipped into the...
IgA nephropathy, or Berger's disease, affects people of all ages, and although uncommon, it can affect children. It usually is asymptomatic in its early stages, but there are symptoms that can be used to diagnose the disease. Most of the symptoms...
Acute renal failure is the inadequacy of the kidneys in filtering blood, which results in the accumulation of waste and abnormal concentrations of electrolytes in the blood. Acute renal failure may result from very low blood pressure or from...
The kidneys secrete hormones, reabsorb substances, convert vitamin D to its active form, keep the right amount of bases and acids in the blood and remove wastes. One waste product that must be excreted is urea. Ammonia, from the metabolism of...
Hematuria, or the presence of red blood cells in your urine, may be due to a variety of different causes. For your doctor to treat this condition, it is necessary to determine its cause. In diagnosing the source of the hematuria, your doctor will...
In healthy individuals, the urinary system filters waste and excess fluid out of the body. However, problems involving the bladder, prostate or kidneys can lead to urinary system diseases. The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information...
Nephrology is the medical specialty devoted to diseases of the kidneys. In addition to filtering blood and removing waste products created by muscular activity, the kidneys also keep levels of potassium, phosphorus, calcium and other substances...
Kidney stones can develop for various reasons: high calcium levels in the urine, high oxalate levels in the urine, bacterial infections, gout, a hereditary disease, the malabsorption of fat and even a high amount of vitamin C. People with kidney...
Years ago, physicians would taste your urine to check for diabetes. Of course, that is no longer done, but an analysis of your urine is still important. It is not only vital if you have kidney disease, the organ that makes urine, or if you suffer...
Vitamin K is needed for the normal clotting of blood. It is found in a variety of natural and fortified foods, so deficiency symptoms are considered relatively rare. Some symptoms of vitamin K deficiency, such as petechiae, affect the skin and can...
Several different factors may cause scarring of kidney tissue. Kidney scarring is also known as glomerulosclerosis, which refers to the glomeruli, the clusters of miniscule blood vessels inside the kidney that filter wastes out of the blood for...
Hematuria, or blood in the urine, can result from a number of causes, including exercise. Most common in long distance runners, it can occur after any type of prolonged, intense physical activity. In most causes, it is no cause for concern but you...
