Kidney Diseases

Also called: Renal disease

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Summary

You have two kidneys, each about the size of your fist. They are near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage. Inside each kidney there are about a million tiny structures called nephrons. They filter your blood. They remove wastes and extra water, which become urine. The urine flows through tubes called ureters. It goes to your bladder, which stores the urine until you go to the bathroom.

Most kidney diseases attack the nephrons. This damage may leave kidneys unable to remove wastes. Causes can include genetic problems, injuries, or medicines. You have a higher risk of kidney disease if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a close family member with kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease damages the nephrons slowly over several years. Other kidney problems include

Your doctor can do blood and urine tests to check if you have kidney disease. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

Keep Your Kidneys Healthy: Catch Kidney Disease Early (National Institutes of Health)
Kidneys and How They Work (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Alport Syndrome Diagnosis (Alport Syndrome Foundation)
MedlinePlus: Creatinine Also in Spanish
MedlinePlus: Kidney Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
MedlinePlus: Urinalysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Keep Your Kidneys Healthy (National Kidney Disease Education Program)
Monitoring Your Kidney Health (National Kidney Disease Education Program)

Treatments and Therapies

Dandelion (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Kidney removal - slideshow Also in Spanish
Medicines and Kidney Disease (National Kidney Disease Education Program)
Nephrectomy (Kidney Removal) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Living With

Diet and Lifestyle Changes (National Kidney Disease Education Program)
Low Phosphorus Diet: Best for Kidney Disease? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Phosphorous and Your CKD Diet (National Kidney Foundation)

Related Issues

Analgesic Nephropathy (Painkillers and the Kidneys) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Ectopic Kidney (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Hydronephrosis (National Kidney Foundation)
Renal Disease and Adult Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Specifics

Alport Syndrome (National Kidney Foundation)
Amyloidosis and Kidney Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Glomerular Diseases (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Goodpasture Syndrome (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
IgA Nephropathy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Interstitial Nephritis (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Lupus Nephritis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Nephrotic Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Nephrotic Syndrome in Adults (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Renal Tubular Acidosis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Solitary Kidney (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Alport syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Bardet-Biedl syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Bartter syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: branchiootorenal/branchiootic syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: C3 glomerulopathy (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: complete LCAT deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: congenital nephrotic syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: cystinosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Dent disease (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Denys-Drash syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Frasier syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Gitelman syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hereditary xanthinuria (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: hyperphosphatemic familial tumoral calcinosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Lowe syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Mainzer-Saldino syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: medullary cystic kidney disease type 1 (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: MYH9-related disorder (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: nail-patella syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: REN-related kidney disease (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: renal coloboma syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: renal hypouricemia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: renal tubular acidosis with deafness (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: renal tubular dysgenesis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Senior-Løken syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: SLC4A1-associated distal renal tubular acidosis (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Townes-Brocks Syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: uromodulin-associated kidney disease (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

Kidney School (Life Options Rehabilitation Program)

Statistics and Research

FastStats: Kidney Disease (National Center for Health Statistics)
Kidney Disease Statistics for the United States (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
New Study Shows 59 Percent of Americans Will Develop Kidney Disease in Their Lifetime (National Kidney Foundation)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Kidney Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Nephritis (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Polycystic Kidney Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Kidneys and How They Work (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Kidneys and Urinary Tract (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

Directory of Kidney and Urologic Diseases Organizations (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) - PDF
Find a Urologist (Urology Care Foundation)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
National Kidney Disease Education Program
National Kidney Foundation

Children

Blood in the Urine (Hematuria) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Detecting Kidney and Urinary Tract Abnormalities Before Birth (National Kidney Foundation)
Glomerulonephritis (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Nephrotic Syndrome (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Overview of Kidney Diseases in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Proteinuria in Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Renal Tubular Acidosis (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Ultrasound: Renal (Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Urine Blockage in Newborns (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse)
Your Child Has Hydronephrosis (National Kidney Foundation)

Teenagers

Kidneys and Urinary Tract (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Seniors

Kidney Problems (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)

Patient Handouts

ACE inhibitors Also in Spanish
Acute nephritic syndrome Also in Spanish
Analgesic nephropathy Also in Spanish
Atheroembolic renal disease Also in Spanish
Bartter syndrome Also in Spanish
Bilateral hydronephrosis Also in Spanish
Congenital nephrotic syndrome Also in Spanish
Distal renal tubular acidosis Also in Spanish
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis Also in Spanish
Glomerulonephritis Also in Spanish
Goodpasture syndrome Also in Spanish
IgA nephropathy Also in Spanish
Injury - kidney and ureter Also in Spanish
Interstitial nephritis Also in Spanish
Kidney removal Also in Spanish
Kidney removal - discharge Also in Spanish
Medicines and Kidney Disease (National Kidney Disease Education Program)
Membranoproliferative GN I Also in Spanish
Membranous nephropathy Also in Spanish
Minimal change disease Also in Spanish
Nephrocalcinosis Also in Spanish
Nephrotic syndrome Also in Spanish
Obstructive uropathy Also in Spanish
Perirenal abscess Also in Spanish
Proximal renal tubular acidosis Also in Spanish
Reflux nephropathy Also in Spanish
Renal papillary necrosis Also in Spanish
Renal perfusion scintiscan Also in Spanish
Renal vein thrombosis Also in Spanish
Unilateral hydronephrosis Also in Spanish