Kidneys are a pair of bean shaped organs located under the rib cage. Major function of the kidneys is to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body through the urine or with other words we can say that kidneys filter the blood.

Every day, the two kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine, composed of wastes and extra fluid.The process of production of urine involves complex steps of excretion ad re-absorption leading to stable balance of the body chemicals.

The kidneys also make hormones calcitriol and erythropoietin that affect the function of the other organs. Calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D in the body. Calcitriol travels from the bloodstream to the intestines where it increases the absorption of calcium from food. The other hormone erythropoietin stimulates the cells of red bone marrow to increase their output of red blood cells.

If your kidneys no longer function properly, your general health is in big trouble. Most common symptoms in health problems linked to kidney damage or kidney failure are:

1.Changes in urination

- Urine may be foamy or bubbly. In some cases urine is dark.

- More often urinating or in greater amounts.

- Less frequent urinating or in smaller amounts.

- Frequent urinating during the night.

2.Swellings of the feet, hands, ankles or face

The fluids that kidneys can’t remove stays in the tissue.

3.Skin rash

Waste build-up in our body can be linked to kidney failure – the skin gets a lot of rashes and itching. All the waste gets piled up in the blood and makes the skin looks dry and irritated.

4.Weakness or fatigue

If kidneys are unhealthy they don’t produce enough erythropoietin – hormone that stimulates the cell of red bone marrow to produce more erythrocytes. Erythrocytes or red blood cells bring the oxygen from blood to the tissue. If the number of red blood cells is lower, fatigue or weakness will occur. This is also a sign of anemia.

5.Metal taste in the mouth and ammonia breath

The waste accumulated in the blood will change your taste to foods and even cause bad breath all the time. Another sign of kidney damage is a severe change in certain foods or poor appetite.

6.Shortness of breath

Kidney failure is sometimes confused with asthma or heart failure, because fluid can build up in the lungs.

7.Back pain or flank pain

The ache in the upper back is another symptom of this condition – that is the same area more or less where kidneys are placed. Pain can be triggered even more by infections or kidney stones.

8.Bad concentration

Bad oxygen flow to the brain is a clear sign of serious anemia, but also kidney failure. It will mess up the focus and concentration, make you light headed and dizzy and cause memory troubles.

 

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