The kidneys play key roles in body function not only by filtering and getting rid of waste products but also by balancing the electrolyte levels in the body, controlling blood pressure and stimulating the production of red blood cells. As the kidneys filter blood, they create urine which collects in the kidney’s pelvis funnel shaped structure that drain down tubes called ureters to the bladder. The kidneys are located in the abdomen towards the lower back. Each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long about the size of a fist. Each kidney contains around a million unit’s nephrons, each of which is a microscopic filter for blood. It’s possible to lose as much as 90% of kidney function without experiencing any symptoms or problems. With this said …show more content…
When the kidney ultrasound test is administered a probe is placed on the skin it reflects sound waves off the kidneys creating images on a screen. Ultrasounds can reveal blockages in urine flow, stones, cysts, or Suspicious masses in the kidneys. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan) is a scanner which uses radio waves in a magnetic field to make high-resolutions images of the kidneys. Many people live with chronic kidney disease and on the verge of kidney failure, without even realizing there is an issue. The gradual transition from unhealthy kidneys to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and finally to kidney failure is very subtle with very subtle with very few symptoms in the early stages. However recognizing the symptoms of impending kidney failure can save you years of health problems. The seven most common signs of kidney failure are leg & back pain it consist of having lingering pain in the legs and the upper back close to where the kidneys are situated. You’ll often just feel pain in the side of the affected kidney. The discomfort can be so terrible that it’s been compared to labor pain by affected women. This …show more content…
The location of the effected kidneys can also be a source of pain. The kidneys are situated on either side of the body, directly underneath the diaphragm, near the lower back which is why pain can radiate to the low back abdominal sides or even down into the legs. If the kidneys develop cysts due to polycystic kidney disease this can understandably result in lower back and leg pain as well. The kidneys produce urine in order to filter waste out of the body. This means oftentimes when the kidneys are jeopardized, Urinary Urgency may occur frequently in the middle of the night and you may notice that you have to urinate more often with increased pressure and in larger quantities. The pressure may be so strong on your bladder that you feel you can’t squeeze all the urine out when you go to the bathroom (similar to a urinary tract infection) if the urine contains blood you should seek medical attention immediately. Fatigue is a symptom of kidney failure, healthy kidneys produce adequate amounts of the EPO (erythropoietin) hormones which command
There are two types of glomerulonephritis—acute renal failure (ARF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The ACF form generally develops suddenly as a result of an infection or illness, such as, group A streptococci bacteria, hepatitis, or in diseases such as lupus or HIV (Mathias, 2013). This type may require dialysis to replace renal function while it lasts, however, kidney function usually returns after the primary illness is treated. Many acute patients will not have any other complications as no permanent damage is done. Whereas CKD is found in a person that has had glomerulonephritis for months to years in some cases and may be asymptomatic until the kidney has become irreversibly damaged. ARF can evolve to become chronic if the glomeruli do not respond to
The kidneys play a major role in the blood composition and volume , the excretion of metabolic wastes in the urine, the control the acid/base balance in the body and the hormone production for maintaining hemostasis. The damages to the GBM in the glomeruli alter filtration process that allows the protein and red blood cells to leak into the urine. Loss of protein like albumin in the urine results in a decrease of their level into the blood stream. Consequently, this patient’s blood reveals a decreased albumin (Alb) value of 2.9 g/dL, decreased serum total protein value of 5 .0 g/dL and in the urine presents of the protein and the RBCs. Impaired filtering capacity result in inability of kidneys to excrete excretory products like electrolytes and metabolic waste products that will then accumulate in the blood. Furthermore, inability of distal convoluted tubules to excrete sufficient quantities of potassium, sodium, magnesium (Mg), chloride (Cl), urea, creatinine (Cr), alkaline phosphatase (Alk Phos), and phosphate (PO4) results in their elevation in the blood. His laboratory values reveal an increased of sodium value of 149 meq/L, an increase of potassium value of 5.4meq/L, increased chloride value of 116 meq/L, increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) serum of 143 mg/dL, and increased creatinine serum of 7.14 mg/dL. The other abnormal blood tests associated with a loss of kidneys’ filtration property identify in this patient are related to an increase of alkaline phosphatase value of 178 IU/L, increased magnesium value of 3.8mgdL, and increased phosphate (PO4) value of 5.9 mg/dL .
Many people never find out that they have had stones in their kidneys. Some stones are small enough to flow through the kidney without ever causing any pain. These are called "silent stones"(Ford-Martin & Odle, 2005) Kidney stones cause problems when they get in the way of the normal flow of urine. They can block the flow through the ureter that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. “The kidney is not accustomed to experiencing any pressure. When pressure builds from backed-up urine, it causes hydronephrosis” (Ford-Martin & Odle, 2005). If the kidney is subjected to this pressure for a while, there may be damage to the fragile kidney structures. When the kidney stone is lodged further down the ureter, the backed-up urine may also cause the ureter to swell. Because the ureter is a musc...
All play a role in removing waste from your body. Your kidneys filter waste from your blood and regulate the concentrations of many substances. Tubes called ureters carry urine from your kidneys to the bladder, where it’s store until it exits your body through the urethra.
This can be investigated by a range of procedures. These include a CT scan of the kidneys and bladder in conjunction with an abdominal X-ray. Results obtained from the diagnosis and tests enable judgments’ relating to the stage to which the problem has developed and will inform decisions on the appropriate treatment
Conforming to Melmed, Polonsky, Larsen & Kronenberg (2011) the waste products of the blood can form crystals which can collect inside the kidneys and aggregate to form stones. Normally the stones are composed of phosphate, oxalate, uric acid, and magnesium ammonium phosphate, single or combined. The type of stone is determined by the pathogenic mechanisms. When the stones are find in the bladder, ureters, renal tubules and collecting system they tend to be symptomatic. When the urine is oversaturated with the stones constituents the stones are formed. During the passage through the renal tubules the crystals aggregate into stones. In order to allow more time for growth the crystals anchor themselves to the renal tubular epithelium in the renal papillae and Randall’s plaques. The concentration of excreted ions is influenced by the diet. The intake of fluids can reduce the stone formation and growth. A reduction in the sodium int...
One of the major kidney problems that we face every day is Acute Renal Failure also called the Acute Kidney Injury which basically is that kidneys have suddenly stopped working and as I said earlier, our kidneys excrete waste products and balances fluids in our blood, so imagine not having a perfectly working kidney, it could cause serious problems in our body that could also be fatal.
There are several symptoms that may indicate that you have a kidney stone such as bloody urine, pain while urinating, a fever with chills, urine that smells or is cloudy, or sharp pain in lower abdomen or back. These symptoms may continue for an extended or short period of time and may cause nausea or vomiting when the pain is present. Kidney stones may pass by themselves and cause no pain or maybe just a little, or being a larger stone, can get stuck somewhere along the urinary tract, causing a lot of pain. When a kidney stone gets stuck, it blocks urine from flowing and can cause very intense pain or bleeding. High levels of oxalate, phosphorus and calcium in the urine can lead to forming kidney stones along with certain types of food, family history of stones, digestive complications, a blockage in your urinary tract, or lack of fluids in the body.
Urolithiasis is the process of forming stones in the kidney, bladder, and/or urinary tract.1 1,200 to 1,400 per 100,000 people will develop a urinary stone each year. Urinary stones are formed when there is a decrease in urine volume or an excess of stone forming substances are present. The use of diagnostic imaging plays a vital role in the diagnostic and treatment processes of a stone in the urinary track. This paper will discuss the signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of Urolithiasis.
...n ones are a kidney biopsy, imagine test, blood test and kidney ultrasound. After getting a positive test for Glomerulonephritis, the adequate treatment has to be implemented. The treatment needed varies from person to person depending on the level of damage, cause of the disease and symptoms. When the patient presents hypertension, the whole treatment is focused on lowering the high blood pressure. If other disease causes Glomerulonephritis, also known as secondary Glomerulonephritis, the doctor should provide medication to control either lupus or diabetes. In severe cases, it is recommended to go trough dialysis not only to drain the excess liquid but also to low blood pressure. In addition to any treatment implemented, the patients have to modify their diets in order to keep their kidneys healthy for longer time and prevent any complications (Mayo Clinic 2014).
Some may think that they words acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease mean the same thing, but that is incorrect. Kidney failure results from the kidneys not being able to eliminate metabolic waste products and water, which can also disturb all other organs of the body. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden and rapid loss of kidney function that usually occurs over hours to days due to acute tubular necrosis. Acute tubular necrosis is a process where ischemia affects parts of the kidneys and disrupts the basement membrane and the tubular epithelium. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has a gradual onset and can take place over many years. CKD is seen in many diabetic patients due to diabetic neuropathy. AKI is a much more serious issue and should be taken very seriously.
The kidneys are bean shaped organs. They are a brownish-purplish sort of color. The outside of the kidneys are very tough, but smooth. This is described as a fibrous tunic. The outer part has millions of nephrons which are the basic unit of the kidney. The kidney is divided into two layers. The outer cortex and the medulla. When the outer cortex is stripped off you then get the medulla. The inside you have a thick mesh of muscular fibers. This is also smooth, and very even. It is very red in color, unlike the outside which is of brownish-purplish coloring. It is more red in color because it has tiny blood vessels. The kidneys are located in the posterior part of the abdomen, on both sides of the vertebral column. An easier way to say that would be right below the ribs towards the middle of your back. The right kidney is usually lower in location than the left kidney because of where the liver is. Each kidney is about 11cm long, 6cm wide, and 2.5 cm thick. The kidneys remove urea from the blood through a blood filtering unit called a nephron. There are more than 2 million nephrons in each kidney. The nephron is part of the homeostatic mechanism of your body. That mechanism maintains your water-salt balance, and it also regulates the amount of urea in your body. The blood enters the kidney through the bowmans capsule under pressure. This just surrounds the tuft of capillaries which is the glomerulus. The liquid just flows through the glomerulus under pressure. The pressure pushes the liquid out and keeps in the larger cells. This is filtration, because the glomerulus is taking the nutrients in and getting rid of the waste. After the filtering ...
One of the most common infections that occur in the urinary system is UTIs or Urinary Tract Infection. A UTI is when bacteria gets into the urinary system, either externally or from the digestive tract, and causes pain and irritation in the urinary tract (Friedl, n.d.). UTIs are typically treated with antibiotics. A common disease of the urinary system is incontinence, which is when you lose some or all of your bladder control (Friedl, n.d.). This can also cause retention problems, which is when you have trouble releasing urine from the bladder (Friedl, n.d.). Incontinence can be treated with medication and exercise that can help to retrain the muscle around the bladder and urethra area (Friedl, n.d.). Interstitial cystitis (IC), also known as painful bladder syndrome (BPS), is a type of chronic bladder condition that is primarily found in women (Zimmermann, 2016). IC can cause bladder pressure and pain, bladder scarring, and can cause less elasticity in the bladder (Zimmermann, 2016). Another form of inflammation in the urinary system is Prostatitis, the swelling of the prostate gland. Prostatitis is significant in that it only occurs in men and is often caused by advanced age (Zimmermann, 2016). It is generally cured by antibiotics. Kidney stones are an extremely painful condition that occurs in the urinary system when chemicals in the urine become
Kidney damage can occur from hypertension which causes blood vessels in the kidneys to shrink and harden; infections travelling though the bloodstream; long-term and uncontrolled diabetes, and genetically inherited kidney problems. (Edith Cowan University, 2001-2004)
Chronic Kidney Disease. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.