What do our kidneys do?
Kidneys perform many critical functions such as:
- Regulating critical hormones that regulate blood pressure
- Balancing the body’s fluids
- Removing waste products from your body
- Producing an active form of vitamin D for bone health
- Controlling the production of red blood cells
Symptoms and conditions
Kidney stones
Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salt that exist in and can impede your urinary system. Kidney stones affect one in every 10 people nationwide, and while they are not life threatening, these can cause extreme pain and sometimes require surgery.
Symptoms include:
- Pain in your lower back or side that can range from dull to severe
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Blood in your urine
- Pain while urinating, frequent urination or an inability to urinate
- Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy
- Fever or chills
Learn more about kidney stones and how they can be prevented >
Kidney Disease
Kidney disease can be linked to diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension) or glomerular diseases (diseases that affect the, the filtering units of your kidney) as well as age and obesity. It can also stem from an acute injury to the kidney or use of some medication.
Symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue and weakness
- Sleep problems
- Increase or decrease in urinating
- Decreased mental sharpness
- Muscle cramps
- Swelling of feet and ankles
- Dry, itchy skin
- Shortness of breath, if fluid builds up in the lungs
- Chest pain, if fluid builds up around the lining of the heart
Complicated hypertension (high blood pressure)
Hypertension may be caused by the kidney’s inability to regulate blood pressure hormones. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, which is why it’s crucial to get your blood pressure tested regularly.
Electrolyte disorders
An electrolyte disorder means having too much or too little of essential electrolytes such sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Such imbalances can happen following the loss of fluids through prolonged vomiting, diarrhea or sweating. They can also be a sign of other underlying issues like kidney disease.
Symptoms include:
- Irregular or fast heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Convulsions or seizures
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Abdominal/muscle cramping or weakness
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Headaches
- Numbness and tingling
Treatment
Our experienced doctors offer a range of services to treat disorders and diseases of the kidneys:
- Devising kidney stone prevention strategy
- Performing dialysis
- Administering complex fluid and electrolyte compounds
Because kidneys are part of the urinary tract system, we also work closely with the physicians and surgeons at our urology center. Our experts in urinary tract surgery use advanced minimally-invasive procedures to treat kidney cancer, kidney disorders and prostate cancer.
State-of-the-art robotic technology creates improved outcomes:
- Faster recovery and return to normal activities
- Reduced blood loss, pain and scarring
- Shorter hospital stay
- Improved erectile function
Medical care and help
To find a nephrology specialist near you, visit our Providers page.
If you are having a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
Contact us if you have any questions