Cardiology

What helps when blood pressure does not drop despite treatment

High blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Diseases associated with high blood pressure are the most common cause of death worldwide. Antihypertensive drugs are among the most frequently ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

New research: Acute kidney damage spreads over time

When our kidneys are acutely damaged, it can cause necrotic injury, which is the death of cells in the kidney. A new study from Aarhus University has now found that the cell damage spreads over several days after the immediate ...

Genetics

Researchers identify gene associated with kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease is a public health burden impacting more than 37 million people worldwide, including nearly one million Americans. It is characterized by the accumulation of toxins, which further damages the kidney, ...

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Kidney

The kidneys are paired organs, which have the production of urine as their primary function. Kidneys are seen in many types of animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are part of the urinary system, but have several secondary functions concerned with homeostatic functions. These include the regulation of electrolytes, acid-base balance, and blood pressure. In producing urine, the kidneys excrete wastes such as urea and ammonium; the kidneys also are responsible for the reabsorption of glucose and amino acids. Finally, the kidneys are important in the production of hormones including vitamin D, renin and erythropoietin.

Located behind the abdominal cavity in the retroperitoneum, the kidneys receive blood from the paired renal arteries, and drain into the paired renal veins. Each kidney excretes urine into a ureter, itself a paired structure that empties into the urinary bladder.

Renal physiology is the study of kidney function, while nephrology is the medical specialty concerned with diseases of the kidney. Diseases of the kidney are diverse, but individuals with kidney disease frequently display characteristic clinical features. Common clinical presentations include the nephritic and nephrotic syndromes, acute kidney failure, chronic kidney disease, urinary tract infection, nephrolithiasis, and urinary tract obstruction.

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