Kidney Diseases

Also called: Renal disease

On this page

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

Your 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)
Creatinine Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Kidney Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Urinalysis: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Keep Your Kidneys Healthy (National Kidney Disease Education Program) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Dandelion (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Kidney removal (nephrectomy) - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Nephrectomy (Kidney Removal) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Living With

Low Phosphorus Diet: Helpful for Kidney Disease? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Phosphorus and Your Diet (National Kidney Foundation)

Related Issues

Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Ectopic Kidney (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Hydronephrosis (National Kidney Foundation)
Keeping Kidneys Safe: Smart Choices about Medicines (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Pain Medicines (Analgesics) (National Kidney Foundation)

Specifics

Alport Syndrome (National Kidney Foundation)
Amyloidosis and Kidney Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Anti-GBM (Goodpasture's) Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Glomerular Diseases (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 or Single-Functioning Kidney (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Genetics

17q12 deletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Alport syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Bardet-Biedl syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Bartter syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Branchiootorenal/branchiootic syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
C3 glomerulopathy: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Complete LCAT deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Congenital nephrotic syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Cystinosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Dent disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Denys-Drash syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Frasier syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Gitelman syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Hyperphosphatemic familial tumoral calcinosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Lowe syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Mainzer-Saldino syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Medullary cystic kidney disease type 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Nail-patella syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
REN-related kidney disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Renal coloboma syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Renal hypouricemia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Renal tubular acidosis with deafness: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Renal tubular dysgenesis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Senior-Løken syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Townes-Brocks Syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Uromodulin-associated kidney disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

Kidney School (Life Options Rehabilitation Program)

Statistics and Research

A Better Test for Kidney Disease (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
FastStats: Kidney Disease (National Center for Health Statistics)
Kidney Disease Statistics for the United States (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

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)

Reference Desk

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

Find an Expert

Children

Blood in the Urine (Hematuria) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Glomerulonephritis (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Hydronephrosis in Newborns (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) Also in Spanish
Kidney Disease in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Nephrotic Syndrome (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Nephrotic Syndrome 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)

Teenagers

Kidneys and Urinary Tract (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

Kidney Problems (AGS Health in Aging Foundation)

Patient Handouts

ACE inhibitors (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Acute nephritic syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Analgesic nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Anti-glomerular basement membrane disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Atheroembolic renal disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bartter syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bilateral hydronephrosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Congenital nephrotic syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Distal renal tubular acidosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Glomerulonephritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hydronephrosis of one kidney (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
IgA nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Injury - kidney and ureter (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Interstitial nephritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Kidney removal (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Kidney removal - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Membranous nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Minimal change disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Nephrocalcinosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Nephrotic syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Obstructive uropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Perirenal abscess (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Proximal renal tubular acidosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Reflux nephropathy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Renal papillary necrosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Renal vein thrombosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish