How Can You Protect Your Kidneys
Monitoring
Your doctor should monitor your kidney function by checking your blood pressure and testing your urine and blood once a year.
Controlling Blood Pressure
If your blood pressure is above normal, you should work with your doctor to keep it below 130/80. Great care should be taken in selecting blood pressure medicines for people with a solitary kidney. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers are two classes of blood pressure medicine that protect kidney function and reduce proteinuria. But these medicines may be harmful to someone with renal artery stenosis , which is the narrowing of the arteries that enter the kidneys. Diuretics can help control blood pressure by removing excess fluid in the body. Controlling your blood pressure may require a combination of two or more medicines, plus changes in diet and activity level.
Eating Sensibly
Avoiding Injury
What Are The Symptoms Of Solitary Kidney
In general, people born with kidney;agenesis or kidney dysplasia show no symptoms, lead full healthy lives, and may never discover they have a solitary kidney. Some people discover they have a solitary kidney by chance after having an x-ray, an ultrasound, or surgery for an unrelated condition or injury. A minority of people develop progressive loss of kidney function, and they can develop symptoms associated with chronic kidney disease.
A small percentage of babies born with kidney agenesis have other birth defects, such as an absent anus, an absent or smaller-than-normal bladder, an absent or smaller-than-normal uterus, a smaller-than-normal lung, club feet, or a hole in the heart wall separating the two lower heart chambers.5
Tests And Diagnosis In Pregnancy
The 20 week antenatal ultrasound scan looks at your baby growing in the womb. If the person doing the ultrasound cannot see kidneys, or can only see a small amount of tissue where the kidneys should be, bilateral renal agenesis will be suspected.;
The scan also measures the amount of amniotic fluid , the fluid that your baby floats in. The babys kidneys start making urine and pass this out into the amniotic fluid. This fluid protects your baby from getting hurt from the outside and helps his or her lungs mature so he or she is ready to breathe after birth. If there is very little or no fluid, this is another sign of a serious problem with the kidneys, such as bilateral renal agenesis.
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Down A Kidney Don’t Rule Out Sports
If you’re born with only one kidney, you can forget about being a football star or a hockey hall-of-famer – or at least, that’s been the conventional medical wisdom espoused for the last few decades.
But a new study found that missing a kidney shouldn’t necessarily keep kids from playing contact sports.
Researchers at the University of Utah combed data on high school athletes’ injuries reported to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, including those playing collision-prone sports like football, field hockey and basketball. Of the more than 23,000 injuries that players sustained from 1995 to 1997, just 18 were kidney injuries. And even those injuries were fairly mild. None of the players had catastrophic kidney injuries that required major medical care.
Injuries to knees, eyes and heads were much more common. Among football players, there were 64 concussions for every one kidney injury.
Dr. Matthew Grinsell, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine, said based on the numbers, a lot of other everyday activities are riskier for the kidneys than playing contact sports.
“It looks like bicycle riding and downhill skiing are more dangerous than football,” he said. “And all sports are way down the list of risks compared with motor vehicle accidents.”
“We have good supporting evidence that we can maybe start letting some more of these kids play,” Diamond said. “And this study certainly helps.”
What Are The Kidneys And What Do They Do
- The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist.
- They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine.
- Every day, the two kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine, which is composed of wastes and extra fluid. Children produce less urine than adults – the amount they produce depends on their age.
- The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through the two ureters, one on each side of the bladder.
- The bladder stores urine.
- The muscles of the bladder wall remain relaxed while the bladder fills with urine. As the bladder fills to capacity, signals sent to the brain tell a person to find a toilet soon.
- When the bladder empties, urine flows out of the body through a tube called the urethra, located at the bottom of the bladder.
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About The Kidneys And Urinary System
The urinary system gets rid of things that the body no longer needs, so that we can grow and stay healthy.
The;kidneys;are bean-shaped organs. They filter blood and remove extra water, salt and waste in urine . Most of us have two kidneys, which are at the back on either side of our spine , near the bottom edge of our ribs.
The two;ureters;are long tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
The;bladder;is a bag that stores urine until we are ready to pass urinate . It sits low down in the pelvis.
The;urethra;is a ;tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.
Medicines And Other Drugs
A few cases of renal agenesis are caused by some medicines taken by the pregnant woman including medicines for seizures or high blood pressure ;and angiotensin receptor blockers inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers ). Speak with your doctor about the medicines that you are taking during pregnancy.
It may be caused by some illicit drugs, such as cocaine.
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Mutated Gene Prevents Development Of One Or Both Kidneys
- Date:
- University of Iowa
- Summary:
- Researchers have identified a gene linked to rare kidney-related birth defects. When working properly, a gene called GREB1L activates a cascade of signals that ultimately tells other genes what they need to do to create a kidney.
A team led by University of Iowa researchers has identified a gene linked to rare, often fatal kidney-related birth defects.
The newly discovered mutated gene is called GREB1L. It is associated with renal agenesis, a hereditary condition in which children are born with either one kidney or no kidneys at all. Children born with a single kidney, a condition called unilateral renal agenesis, generally live, but they often encounter other health problems, including hypertension and early kidney failure. Children born without kidneys do not survive.
John Manak, associate professor in biology, says the finding allows for families carrying the mutation to be told in advance whether their children are at risk of inheriting the disorder.
“Essentially, it’s a way to determine early on whether the child will likely be born with the disorder or be born healthy,” says Manak, corresponding author on the paper. “Imagine the relief the parents would feel in the latter case. In fact, based on our work, we already know that additional families have been identified that harbor mutations in this gene, and they can now be better informed about the disorder affecting them.”
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Growing Up With One Kidney
It is true, you can live with only one kidney. Some people are born with only one because the other one did not grow properly. Other times, the two kidneys touch each other when they are first growing and join together, making one kidney shaped like a horseshoe. People with these types of kidneys have to be very careful because they might get sick more easily than someone who has two kidneys.
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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Kidney Dysplasia
Many babies with kidney dysplasia in only one kidney have no signs of the condition.
- In some patients, the affected kidney may be enlarged at birth and may cause pain.
- The affected kidney may be enlarged at birth.
- Abnormalities in the urinary tract may lead to urinary tract infections.
- Children with kidney dysplasia may develop high blood pressure, but only rarely.
- Children with kidney dysplasia may have a slightly increased risk for kidney cancer.
- Chronic kidney disease and kidney failure may develop if the child has urinary problems that affect the normal kidney.
- Many children with kidney dysplasia in only one kidney have no signs or symptoms.
- muscles and skeleton, or
- other parts of the urinary tract.
A baby may also develop kidney dysplasia if his or her mother takes certain prescription medications during pregnancy, such as some used to treat seizures and high blood pressure. A mothers use of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, during pregnancy may also cause kidney dysplasia in her unborn child.
How Long Can You Survive With One Kidney
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In reply to anonymous on 2008-07-12 – click to read
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hazord wrote:
anatollo wrote:
What can you tell me about living with just one kidney? How long can you survive? I mean, it looks like my left kidney will have to be removed and I would like to know what will happen afterwards. Doctor said that I should be just fine, but how can I when my kidney will be extracted?
im having problems with my left side i think it might b my kidney ? is it ? what will happen ? is it an important organ ? please reply
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How Common Is It To Be Born With One Kidney
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Why Do Some People Have One Kidney
According to health experts, we can all live a perfectly healthy and normal life even with a single kidney that functions well. You do not necessarily need two kidneys in order to live a normal, active and healthy life, which is why millions of people all over the world are doing pretty fine with just a single kidney.
Before we answer the question, let us take a look at something about the kidney. Many people are endowed with two kidneys. Each of the kidneys is found on each side of the persons spinal column in the back right under the persons rib cage. The kidneys, though they are very crucial organs of the body are not that big like one would expect them to be. Each kidney is as little as about the size of a persons fist. Each kidney comes with countless tiny nephrons. A nephron is a very tiny filtering device in the kidney responsible for transferring waste product from a persons blood to the urinary system to be passed out as urine. According to scientists, each kidney is contains roughly a million nephrons.
So why do some people have a single kidney?
There are so many things that could account for people having just one kidney. Below are some of the reasons:
The above are the reasons why a person may have one kidney.
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What Are The Complications Of Kidney Dysplasia
The complications of kidney dysplasia can include
- hydronephrosis of the working kidney. A baby with kidney dysplasia in only one kidney might have other urinary tract defects. When other defects in the urinary tract block the flow of urine, the urine backs up and causes the kidneys and ureters to swell, a condition called hydronephrosis. If left untreated, hydronephrosis can damage the working kidney and reduce its ability to filter blood. Kidney damage may lead to chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.
- a urinary tract infection . A urine blockage may increase a babys chance of developing a UTI. Recurring UTIs can also lead to kidney damage.
How Long Can You Live Being Born With Just One Kidney
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Hallo,
It is little strange that he doesnt have second kidney inthe screening test. Have doctors do another one? This could be wrong, but organsdont just disappear like that. However having one kidney is not too dangerous.There are some limitations but many people have just one kidney and theyfunction normally. There are people who are born with just one kidney, and if Iam not mistaking this can happen to one in every 750 babies. In my opinion ifhe doesnt have any other complication in life he can grow old as anybody elsebut he might notice problems considering the urinary tract system. He might notbe the all star champion but he will be able to normal things.
coop9094 over a year ago
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What About A Kidney Transplant
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Health, almost 200,000 people in the United States have a functioning transplanted kidney.
A kidney transplant is only done when you have no functioning kidneys. The risks of the procedure and side effects of the medications youll need for the rest of your life outweigh the small increase in function you get from a second kidney.
If your solitary kidney gets injured or sick and stops working, you might be eligible for a transplant.
No matter how many kidneys you started with, you only receive one kidney in a transplant. The transplanted kidney usually gets bigger and works harder over time. Eventually, your transplanted kidney will function almost as well as two kidneys.
Why Does This Happen
Normal kidneys remove waste products from the body, and make sure the body has the right balance of water and salts. They also control blood pressure, help keep bones and teeth strong and healthy, and control the production of red blood cells. If there are no kidneys, the body cannot do this work. ;
While a baby is growing in the uterus , he or she floats in amniotic fluid. This protects the baby from getting hurt from the outside and helps the lungs mature so that he or she is ready to breathe after birth. The baby swallows or breathes in the amniotic fluid.;
Normally, the kidneys develop and start making urine. The baby passes the urine out, adding to the amount of amniotic fluid. If the baby does not have kidneys, he or she cannot produce urine, and this leads to not enough amniotic fluid this is called oligohydramnios. This can stop the lungs fully developing.
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Other Conditions That Look Like Renal Hypoplasia
Sometimes, renal hypoplasia is thought to be another type of problem with the kidney.
- Renal dysplasia one or both kidneys are smaller than usual, but have also not developed properly and may have cysts
- Multicystic dysplastic kidney a more severe form of renal dysplasia. The whole of the affected kidney is a bundle of many cysts, and does not work.
- Reflux nephropathy scars on the kidney.
How Does The Urinary System Work
The urinary system consists of the kidneys, the bladder and ureters. The kidneys filter the blood to remove waste products and form urine. Urine flows from the kidneys down;through the ureters to the bladder. From here it passes through another tube to the outside, when urinating.
The ureters join the bladder at an angle, creating a flap . This prevents urine flowing back from the bladder into the ureters and the kidneys . It also stops;the high pressure created by urination from affecting the kidneys. This valve helps to get rid of the urine in the bladder in one go, as the urine cannot travel to anywhere else.
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What The Ultrasound Can Tell Us
Although your doctor will not always know how your baby will be affected at birth, he or she is less likely to have significant problems if:;
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he or she is growing well in the womb
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no other problems have been found, and
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there is a normal amount of amniotic fluid.;
You may need to go back to the hospital for more ultrasound scans during the reainder of your;pregnancy .
What Are The Possible Effects Of Solitary Kidney
If having a single kidney does affect your health, the changes are likely to be so small and happen so slowly that you wont notice them. Over long periods of time, however, these gradual changes may require specific measures or treatments. Changes that may result from a single kidney include the following:
- High blood pressure. Kidneys help maintain a healthy blood pressure by regulating how much fluid flows through the bloodstream and by making a hormone called renin that works with other hormones to expand or contract blood vessels. Many people who lose or donate a kidney are found to have slightly higher blood pressure after several years.
- Proteinuria. Excessive protein in the urine, a condition known as proteinuria, can be a sign of kidney damage. People are often found to have higher-than-normal levels of protein in their urine after they have lived with one kidney for several years.
- Reduced GFR. The glomerular filtration rate shows how efficiently your kidneys are removing wastes from your bloodstream. People have a reduced GFR if they have only one kidney.
In the nephron , tiny blood vessels intertwine with urine-collecting tubes. Each kidney contains about 1 million nephrons. You can have high blood pressure, proteinuria, and reduced GFR and still feel fine. As long as these conditions are under control, they will probably not affect your health or longevity. Schedule regular checkups with your doctor to monitor these conditions.
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