Kidney Disease

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, normally paired, that lie deep within the abdomen on either side of the lumbar spine. They play a critical role in filtering the blood and in helping maintain normal physiologic levels of important minerals and electrolytes and also help govern total body water content. The kidneys also contribute hormones into the circulation that can affect blood pressure. The kidneys have collecting systems for gathering urine and are connected to long muscular tubes, called ureters, that transmit urine into the bladder for storage and later excretion.

Many different kinds of diseases can affect the kidneys, ureters and bladder as well as the vessels that supply blood to and drain blood from these organs. These include acute and chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, clotting disorders that can affect the renal arteries or veins, cancer (both primary and secondary), trauma, kidney (renal) stone disease and a host of developmental and congenital disorders. Medical imaging continues to play a critical role in both the initial diagnosis and treatment follow-up for most diseases. Pre-surgical planning is greatly aided by the use of imaging, especially in patients being considered for renal donation (transplant), surgical resection for cancer, ureteral obstruction, and stone disease as well as in the evaluation of patients who have already received a transplanted kidney.

This page contains the following information about kidney disease:

Facts About Kidney Disease

Following are some facts about a few of the many conditions that can affect the kidneys.

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Risk Factors for Kidney Disease

Following are the risk factors for some kidney conditions:

Chronic Kidney Disease

Diabetes is the single greatest risk factor for chronic kidney disease. Following are some additional risk factors for chronic kidney disease:

Polycystic Kidney Disease

Polycystic kidney disease is caused solely by abnormal genes.

Kidney Cancer

Following are some risk factors for developing kidney cancer:

Kidney Stones

Following are some risk factors for developing kidney stones:

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Reducing the Risk of Kidney Disease

Following are ways you can reduce your risk for some kidney conditions:

Chronic Kidney Disease

It may not be possible to prevent chronic kidney disease; however, you may reduce your risk in the following ways:

Polycystic Kidney Disease

There are no ways to reduce the risk of PKD since it is solely an inherited illness. However, the disease varies in severity and it is possible to lessen or prevent some of the complications.

Kidney Cancer

There are no proven methods for preventing kidney cancer; however the following steps may reduce your risk:

Kidney Stones

You may prevent kidney stones by making some lifestyle changes, including those listed below. If lifestyle changes don’t suffice, your doctor may prescribe medication.

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Symptoms of Kidney Disease

Following are symptoms for some kidney conditions:

Chronic Kidney Failure

Over time, chronic kidney failure can lead to other serious conditions. Unfortunately, symptoms often don’t occur until irreversible damage has been done. Following are some symptoms of chronic kidney failure:

Polycystic Kidney Disease

Following are some of the symptoms of PKD:

Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer seldom produces symptoms in its early stages. In its later stages, the most common symptom is blood in the urine. You may notice the blood during urination, or it may be detected in a urinalysis done by your physician.

Following are other potential symptoms of kidney cancer:

These symptoms, including blood in the urine, may be caused by other illnesses also. If you have any of these symptoms, promptly consult your primary care physician to determine the cause.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones often don’t have symptoms until they become large, cause a blockage, are being passed, or are associated with an infection. In these cases, the most common symptom is intense pain that may fluctuate. The pain usually starts in the back and may radiate down to the groin as the stone travels through the ureter to the bladder. Additional symptoms include:

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Imaging Exams for Detecting Kidney Disease

CT, ultrasound, MRI, conventional catheter angiography and nuclear medicine all have different roles to play and are often complimentary in the work-up of kidney disease.

CT scans are used most often to evaluate the kidneys, especially in the evaluation of trauma patients and patients with suspected kidney stones. CT and MRI are both very good in the evaluation of the renal arteries. CT urograms (an x-ray exam using contrast material) are now commonly performed in our offices and partner hospitals to evaluate patients with hematuria and certain types of cancer. This study provides diagnostic information about the kidneys, ureters and bladder with one test and has largely replaced a combination approach with multiple studies used in the past for certain types of patients.

Both MRI and CT are excellent at evaluating focal renal abnormalities such as cysts, renal cell carcinoma, angiomyolipomas, infarcts, lymphoma and transitional cell carcinomas and both are excellent tools to help stage cancers, once diagnosed. Ultrasound is also often used to characterize focal renal lesions with the additional benefit of no ionizing radiation. Ultrasound is a fast, noninvasive way to evaluate the size and contour of the kidneys as well as to assess the renal vessels and detect obstruction of the kidneys from a variety of causes. Nuclear medicine renal scans play an important part in the workup of unexplained hypertension, obstruction, renal transplant complications and the staging and follow-up of cancer patients.

Radiology Procedures for Treating Kidney Disease

Radiofrequency ablation is a non-surgical way to shrink malignant tumors in the kidneys. Imaging techniques are used to guide a catheter through the blood vessels to the site of the tumor, where heat is applied directly to the tumor site to destroy the diseased tissue.

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Additional Information on Kidney Disease

The information on this page was taken in part from some of the following web sites. Visit these sites for additional information on kidney disease.

Sources

Additional Sites

Most people who develop kidney cancer are between the ages of 50 and 70. A family history of kidney problems can increase your risk of developing chronic kidney disease, kidney cancer, or kidney stones.