human kidney

The kidneys are the main excretory organ of the human body, which filters toxins, toxins and other harmful substances and removes them with urine, while retaining the necessary trace elements. If there is a failure in the work of the kidneys, absolutely all systems and organs of a person suffer.

What is important to know about the human kidney  

In newborns, the kidneys are large relative to body size – 4-4,5 cm in length, 2,5-2,7 cm in width. By the first year of life, the kidneys increase by 2 times, and by the age of 13-15 – by 7 times.

It is interesting

All the blood of the human body passes through the kidneys in 4-5 minutes, 12 times per hour and 288 times per day.

Where are the human kidneys located?

The kidneys are located at a distance from each other – in the lumbar region on both sides of the spine.

Next to the right kidney is the duodenum and liver. The left kidney, which is located 1-2 cm higher, has more “neighbors”: the spleen is above it, the colon is behind it, and the pancreas and small intestine are in front.

The kidneys are separated from other organs by a connective sheath, with which they are attached to the diaphragm. The fixation of the kidneys is mainly carried out by the fat capsule and intra-abdominal pressure. Therefore, the kidneys are mobile and can change their location with a change in body posture. Moving 3-4 centimeters relative to the sacrum is considered the norm. But a displacement over a distance of more than 5 centimeters is already an anomaly called a “wandering” kidney. 

In men, the kidneys are slightly higher than in women. And in children, they are located lower than in adults, and only by the age of 10 rise to a normal level.

That also happens

There is also a congenital non-standard location of the kidneys:

• pathological omission of one kidney,
• both kidneys are displaced and are on the same side of the spine,
• fusion of the kidneys.

What do kidneys look like and how do they work?

Most people are born with two kidneys. Each of them looks like a large bean and is covered on top with a strong capsule of connective and adipose tissue.

What is visible to the naked eye? From the concave side, blood vessels and nerves enter the kidney. On the same side is the renal pelvis, from which the ureter departs – the link between the kidney and the bladder.

You can’t see nephrons without a microscope. There are about a million nephrons in total, and it is in them that primary urine is formed after blood filtration. It contains many useful substances – vitamins, amino acids, minerals. To return them to the body, the primary urine is re-filtered. The end product of this processing – the well-known light yellow secondary urine – must be excreted from the body.

Why can a person’s kidneys hurt

Violation of the outflow of urine through the ureters due to urolithiasis is the most common cause of pain in the lumbar region caused by renal pathology.  

Also, the causes of pain can be: inflammation of the kidneys, trauma, less often congenital anomalies or various tumor processes. The clinical picture in different diseases is different.  

pyelonephritis

Inflammatory kidney disease, usually caused by bacteria. Pain in pyelonephritis is increasing, but it can also appear suddenly, in the lumbar region. The temperature rises, chills appear, sometimes nausea and vomiting. Often this condition is preceded by increased urination.

With recurrent chronic pyelonephritis, mild aching pains and discomfort in the lumbar region, frequent urination, periodic fever, and general weakness are observed.

glomerulonephritis

Inflammation of the renal glomeruli, which often occurs against the background of infectious and other diseases. Low back pain is moderate. Urine often has an admixture of blood and the color of “meat slops.” With a decrease in the functional ability of the kidneys, the amount of urine may decrease, and blood pressure may rise. There may be swelling on the face, especially noticeable in the morning.   

Urolithiasis disease

Sometimes, for one reason or another, stones begin to form in the kidneys from salts dissolved in the urine.БThe disease can be asymptomatic for a long time, only occasionally mild pain appears. The clinical picture of the disease develops when the stone begins to move and enters the ureter, like a plug, disrupting the outflow of urine.

When the ureter is blocked with stones, severe pain appears, from which a person does not find a place for himself – renal colic. According to statistics, renal colic occurs in 90% of patients suffering from urolithiasis. The lower the stone goes down the ureter, the more pain gives to the area of ​​the bladder and genitals.

 Sometimes stones grow in the kidney to large sizes, sometimes filling the entire kidney (staghorn). In such cases, the dull aching pain becomes almost constant, weakness and fever may be present.

Hydronephrosis

A disease that occurs due to a violation of the outflow of urine from the renal pelvis. The kidney is “stretched”, which may be accompanied by pulling pains in the lower back, rare, weak and painful urination, the presence of blood in the urine. If the disease is not treated, the kidney gradually loses its function, its parenchyma becomes thinner, turning into a kind of “bag” filled with urine.  

Nephroptosis

This is the pathological mobility of the kidney, in which the organ is displaced from its usual place. The pain is usually pulling, on the one hand, it is felt more strongly when changing the position of the body. With severe nephroptosis, attacks of pain become similar to renal colic.

Neoplasms

Unfortunately, kidney tumors can remain asymptomatic for a long time. Pain appears when the tumor begins to compress the ureter and disrupt the outflow of urine or compress neighboring organs and vessels. Also, the clinical picture can develop with the collapse of the tumor.

In addition to pain, tumors are often manifested by an admixture of blood in the urine. Today, most kidney tumors are discovered by chance during ultrasound during medical examinations or examinations for other reasons.

thrombosis of the renal veins

Pain in the kidney area is acute, accompanied by the appearance of blood in the urine, nausea and vomiting, weakness and drowsiness, often pain and swelling in the legs.

In addition to the above diseases, there is a whole list of pathologies that can cause kidney pain. These are kidney infarction, kidney failure, purulent processes in the kidneys, nephropathy and others.

Important!

In case of sudden pain in the kidney area, you should immediately consult a doctor, since a number of causes of this pain require emergency care. And sometimes what we consider to be kidney pain is caused by completely different reasons, for example, osteochondrosis.

How are human kidneys treated?

The course of treatment is prescribed after an accurate diagnosis is established. Treatment can be either medical or surgical.

For example, kidney stones are a mandatory complex treatment that includes surgical methods (most often, endoscopic methods using a laser to destroy the stone), and drugs that can dissolve the stone (if it is from uric acid), help it exit, and relieve inflammation. and swelling.

Medication

For the treatment of kidneys, several groups of drugs are used:

1. Painkillers – to relieve pain;
2. Uroantiseptics – including antibiotics, sulfonamides, quinolone derivatives – to suppress the infectious and inflammatory process.

Depending on the clinical situation, the doctor may prescribe other drugs. For example, alpha-blockers relieve spasm of smooth muscles and are used in renal colic to speed up and facilitate the passage of the stone.

In case of kidney disease, which are accompanied by an increase in blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs may be prescribed. To relieve swelling, diuretics are often prescribed – diuretic drugs. The course of treatment is accompanied by a salt-free diet, excluding spicy and fatty foods.

Of great importance in the treatment of urolithiasis is the prevention of re-formation of stones. This includes taking various medications, dieting, regular examinations. Good results are shown by spa treatment and mineral waters. For urate stones (formed from uric acid and its salts), alkaline ones are shown (Borjomi, Essentuki No. 17), and for oxalates or stones with calcium salts, slightly alkaline (Essentuki No. 4).

Surgery

Many kidney operations are now done using laparoscopy, that is, through small punctures. This method is used for:

• excision of kidney cysts,
• kidney resection (removal of part of it),
• kidney removal,
• suturing the kidney (when it is not in its place),
• removal of large stones.

Most stones are removed either through the urethra using thin, flexible instruments and a laser, or through a small incision in the lumbar region.

Removal of the kidney in some cases is shown partial, and sometimes the kidney has to be removed completely. There must be a good reason to remove a kidney, despite the fact that it is a paired organ, and one kidney can work for two.

The main indications for such an operation:

• inoperable benign tumors,
• kidney cancer,
• serious injuries with subsequent rupture of the kidney,
• purulent processes,
• loss of kidney function due to obstruction of the outflow of urine or its wrinkling.  

Other methods

Methods of treatment of urolithiasis are not limited to surgery and pharmacology. Stones are crushed by contact or remotely using electromagnetic waves, laser, ultrasound.

In chronic renal failure, when drug treatment no longer has an effect, hemodialysis is prescribed. The patient is regularly (at least 3 times a week) connected to a special apparatus that purifies his blood. When the kidneys are weak, toxic substances accumulate in the body, and they can be removed only with the help of such a lifelong procedure.

A radical treatment for chronic renal failure is a donor kidney transplant. 

Fact

The kidney is the most widely transplanted organ. For example, in Russia about 1.5 thousand such operations are performed annually. The fact is that of all donor organs, the kidney has the longest shelf life – from 24 to 36 hours. For comparison: the heart is suitable for transplantation within 3-4 hours, the liver – up to 6 hours, the lung – 6-8 hours.

How to keep your kidneys healthy at home

To keep your kidneys healthy, just follow a few simple rules.

• Eat less salt and meat, canned food, fast food and food concentrates,
• Drink at least 1,5 liters of water per day
• Do not abuse alcohol and do not smoke,
• Avoid being overweight
• Do not abuse painkillers and do not take diuretics without a doctor’s prescription,
• Avoid hypothermia of the lumbar region, pelvic organs and legs,
• Use protective equipment when working with insecticides and fungicides when working in the country, in production, repair,
• Control cholesterol and blood glucose levels, blood pressure,
• Even if nothing bothers you, once a year, take a general urinalysis, a blood test to determine creatinine and urea, and do an ultrasound of the kidneys.

It’s important

Lack of water in the diet can be an indirect cause of the formation of kidney stones. If you already have kidney problems, then the doctor will help determine the amount of water that you need to drink per day.

Popular questions and answers

How to recognize a kidney problem at an early stage and other popular questions answered Candidate of Medical Sciences, urologist Sergei Belomyttsev.