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Kidney Health

Your kidneys are small but mighty organs that play an essential role in keeping you healthy. Kidney health includes the study and treatment of stone disease, as well as the use of minimally invasive surgery and its applications within the genitourinary system.

What Do the Kidneys Do?

Among other functions, kidneys:

• Remove waste from your blood after digestion and exposure to chemicals
• Balance water and minerals like sodium and potassium in your blood
• Produce a substance (renin) that helps your body manage blood pressure
• Make a form of Vitamin D essential for bone health

What Causes Kidney Disease?

Kidney disease is caused by the lack of blood flow to the kidneys, direct damage to the kidneys, and urine backing up into the kidneys which can cause acute or chronic kidney disease. These problems can happen as a result of a traumatic injury, severe dehydration, a sepsis infection, long standing blockage from an enlarged prostate, complications during pregnancy (eclampsia and pre-eclampsia), or certain drugs or toxins.

In the U.S., the two main causes of kidney failure are type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Another common cause is glomerulonephritis, which damages the filtering units of the kidneys, called glomeruli. The cause of glomerulonephritis is unknown—it may be inherited or triggered by an infection.

Another common problem is that of kidney stones, which form when your urine is unable to dilute crystal-forming substances such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid. There are several different types of kidney stones, and the type helps determine the cause.