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| THE KIDNEY |
KIDNEY
This a pair of organs located at the back of the abdomen, against the strong muscles next to the spine, and behind the intestine and other organs. Each kidney weighs about five ounce (150 grams) and 10 cm long in an average adult.
FUNCTIONS OF THE KIDNEY
The kidney plays a very vital role in the body, it functions includes;
- The kidney filters out water and also unwanted substances in the blood. These substances are produced by the normal working of the body. They are excreted by the kidneys in form of urine.
- The kidney also keeps the salt and water of the body balance.
How It Works;
Blood that passes through each kidney under high pressure. The blood is filtered by the glomeruli, which are special organs in the kidney that contain clusters of capillaries that collect salt, water and unwanted substances.
The filtrates (i.e. the filtered substances) passes along a tube , called Nephron (Which are approximately one million in each kidney) whose function is to reabsorb the water, salt or glucose that the body still requires and allow the rest to pass into the pelvis of the kidney as urine.
KIDNEY DISEASES
Below are some examples of kidney diseases and disorders;
- Nephritis
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Haematuria
- Nocturia
- Calculus
- Glomerulonephritis
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Polyuria
- Uremia
- Haemoglobin-uria
- Cancer of the Kidney
CAUSES OF KIDNEY DISEASES AND DISORDERS
Kidney diseases may be caused by so many factors such as; Cancer, infections, injury or disorders from other part of the body. Although there are some cases were disorders may occur in the kidney without apparent cause.
The kidney may be damaged in a serious accident, causing a rupture of its surrounding capsule and leading to severe haemorrhage.
Stones may form in the kidney causing damage to the other, sometimes this happens without any apparent cause, but in other cases it is caused by an underlying metabolic disorder.
They are cases were damages occur due to radiotherapy treatment carried out for cancer, this may result to high blood pressure and kidney failure.
Infection from the bladder may spread to the kidney, which will cause it to be infected and inflamed and result to diseases like; Glomerulonephritis and Nephritis.
A stone in the ureter may cause urinary obstruction, this may result in reverse pressure of urine into the kidney, producing distension and hydronephrosis (loss of function).
High blood pressure gradually damages the kidney, because of such damage, high blood pressure often continue to be a problem after the original cause had been found and treated.
SYMPTOMS AND EFFECTS OF KIDNEY DISEASES AND DISORDERS
Kidney diseases may cause an increase in the amount of urine formed, leading to abnormally frequent urination which is also known as Polyuria.
In some other cases, formation of urine may decrease, leading to abnormally infrequent urination (Oliguria).
Kidney disease such as Nephritis may cause blood in urine.
Other symptoms includes; Oedema i.e. swelling due to the accumulation of water in the body tissues.
Acute abdominal pain.
If both kidneys stop to working completely, waste products may accumulate in the body and poison the patient.
TREATMENT AND REMEDIES
Haemodialysis; This is a medically procedure which involves filtering of unwanted substances from the body using a machine that acts as an artificial kidney. It is mostly used on patients whose kidneys are malfunctioning or damaged.
Kidney transplant can be performed on the patient.
On the whole, kidney treatment depends on their causes, and may involve the skilled care of a specialist in kidney diseases (Nephrologist).
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