KIDNEY & URINARY TRACT DISORDERS

Urinary system disorders are widespread in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 3.5 million Americans are reporting kidney problems and 25 to 30 million are reporting bladder problems. More than 26,000 Americans die of kidney disease each year in the U.S.

Your urinary system works with other organs to excrete wastes and keep chemicals and water in the body balanced. An adult eliminates about a quart and a half of urine each day, but the amount can vary depending on the amount of fluid and food consumed and how much is lost through sweating and breathing. Some medications can affect the quantity of urine your body eliminates.

When your body uses proteins derived from the foods you eat, a waste product called urea is created and carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys, two bean-shaped organs the approximate size of fists. They are located just below the rib cage near the middle of the back. Each kidney has about a million tiny filtering units called nephrons, which remove urea from the blood. A ball of small blood capillaries (a glomerulus) and a small tube called a renal tubule comprise a nephron. The kidneys remove or return chemicals such as phosphorus, potassium and sodium in quantities needed to maintain optimal blood levels of these substances. Urea, water and other waste products create urine as the substances move through the nephrons and down the kidney’s renal tubules.

The kidney also releases three vital hormones: erythropoietin, which stimulates production of red blood cells in bones; rennin, a blood-pressure regulator; and the active form of vitamin D, which maintains calcium levels in bone.