Patients who are newly diagnosed with kidney disease are often confused and scared. Instead of reaching out to their doctor or other reputable sources of information, some patients turn to misinformation found on the Internet that counsels...
Although kidney cysts can be diagnosed at any age, the majority of cases are identified through renal ultrasound or shortly after a baby is born. The severity of this condition is highly variable. In some instances, people make it to adulthood...
A random urine specimen is one that is taken at any time of day except for the first void of the morning. If you are healthy, a random urine specimen will have very little protein. This is a desirable result because high urine protein levels are...
Urinalysis is a laboratory tool used by health care professionals to screen for a variety of metabolic and kidney conditions, including urinary tract infections. It can be used as part of a routine physical evaluation or if the person has symptoms...
Urine is produced in the kidneys, and is delivered to the bladder via the ureter. The urine is stored in the bladder until the organ is full, and is carried outside the body through the urethra. Kidney reflux occurs when urine does not flow from...
The kidneys act as one of the body's main waste processing plants, filtering about 200 quarts of blood each day, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders. A tumor in the kidney limits its ability to...
According to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), 1-in-9 Americans has kidney disease. About 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease, and millions more are at increased risk. Lack of routine screening makes this problem worse...
Acute renal failure, also called acute kidney failure, is a sudden loss of kidney function that results in an inability of the kidneys to filter wastes without losing electrolytes. This is a very serious condition that can lead to the need for...
Renal artery stenosis is a narrowing of the artery that brings oxygen-rich blood to the kidneys. This narrowing is typically because of cholesterol build up in the artery wall that is called atherosclerosis. The clinical manifestation of renal...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, results from a 2008 national health survey show that 3.7 million American adults have renal disease. This figure does not include people who are in the hospital receiving treatment for...
Hematuria, proteinuria and hypertension are red flags for kidney disease. When these symptoms are in combination, doctors immediately begin the diagnostic process for determining what type of kidney disease is present. In some instances, such as...
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...
Polycystic kidney disease has two specific variants called autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Both are caused by different genes and produce slightly different diseases. Both can be...
An ultrasound is a noninvasive procedure that can measure the size and shape of the kidneys. Many different conditions can cause an enlarged kidney and ultrasound is a useful procedure for finding these changes. Some of these conditions may...
The kidneys are a pair of vital organs located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. They primarily filter waste from the blood and maintain salt and water balances in the body. Medullary cystic kidney disease is a type of kidney...
Your daily urine output is an indicator of your current state of health. Excessive or decreased urine output can be a sign that you are drinking too little or too much water, or it could be a symptom of an underlying condition. According to...
The blood flow into the kidney is carried from the aorta to the renal artery. As atherosclerotic plaque builds up in the aorta it will extend into the renal artery and slowly decrease the diameter of the artery at its origin. As this process...
If your bladder is not emptying completely, you're urinating frequently and you're suffering from recurring urinary tract infections and chronic low-grade back pain, your doctor may wish to have you tested for signs of reflux uropathy. This...
As described by the Merck Manual and the Mayo Clinic, polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary disorder that results in multiple, various-sized and progressively enlarging benign cysts in both kidneys. Inheritance is most commonly autosomal...
Some patients define their disease in generalities, saying that they have poor kidney function or that they have bad kidneys. This information is inadequate because there are many different causes of poor kidney function. Knowing the cause of...
Kidney stones, also called renal stones, are commonly diagnosed by ultrasounds and CT scans. If you have a history of kidney stones, your doctor might opt to treat the stone without using tests to confirm the diagnosis. Kidney stones can cause...
The National Cancer Institute estimates that over 58,000 individuals will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in the United States in 2010 and more than 13,000 people will die from the disease that same year. Treatment is most effective when the...
