Kidney

The kidneys are bean-shaped excretory organs in vertebrates. Part of the urinary system, the kidneys filter wastes (especially urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. The medical field that studies the kidneys and diseases affecting the kidney is called nephrology, from the Greek name for the kidney; the adjective meaning "kidney-related" is renal, from the Latin.

Dialysis and kidney transplants

Generally, humans can live normally with just one kidney. Only when the amount of functioning kidney tissue is greatly diminished will renal failure develop. If renal function is impaired, various forms of medications are used, while others are contraindicated. If creatinine clearance (a measure of renal function) has fallen very low ("end-stage renal failure"), or if the renal dysfunction leads to severe symptoms, dialysis is commenced. Dialysis is a medical procedure, performed in various different forms, where the blood is filtered outside of the body.

Related Topics:
Renal failure - Renal function - Creatinine clearance - Dialysis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kidney transplantation is the only cure for advanced chronic renal failure; dialysis, while correcting the abnormalities to a degree, is seen as a form of "buying time" to bridge the inevitable wait for a suitable organ.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first successful kidney transplant was announced on March 4, 1954 at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. The surgery was performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1990 for this feat.

Related Topics:
March 4 - 1954 - Peter Bent Brigham Hospital - Boston - Joseph E. Murray - Nobel Prize in Medicine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are two types of kidney transplants: living donor transplant and a cadaveric (dead donor) transplant. A kidney from a donor, usually a blood relative, is transplanted into the patients body. The donor's blood group and tissue type must be compatible with the patients, and extensive medical tests are done to determine the health of the donor. The cadaveric transplant is healthy kidney from someone who has died is transplanted into the patients body. Before a cadaveric donor's organs can be transplanted, a series of medical tests have to be done to determine if the organs are healthy. Also, in some countries, the family of the donor must give its consent for the organ donation. In both cases, the recipient of the new organ needs to take drugs to suppress their immune system to help prevent their body from rejecting the new kidney http://www.mayoclinic.org/kidney-transplant/livingdonor.html.

Related Topics:
Organ donation - Immune system

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~