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Your Kidneys

What do kidneys do?

Kidneys are bean-shaped organs in the back of your body on either side of your spine, protected by your rib cage. Most people have two kidneys. They filter and clean your blood to remove waste and extra fluid from your body as urine. 

Kidneys also help your body:

• Keep a healthy amount of minerals like sodium and potassium in your blood
• Make red blood cells
• Keep your bones strong
• Control your blood pressure

Kidney Disease

What is chronic kidney disease?

Chronic kidney disease is when your kidneys are damaged, and do not work as well as they should. Diabetes and high blood pressure are common causes of CKD.

As your kidneys get worse over time, you may develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), or kidney failure. This means that your kidneys no longer work well enough to support your body’s daily needs. People with ESKD need dialysis, which is when a machine cleans their blood when their kidneys cannot. They may also get a kidney transplant, which is when doctors replace a damaged kidney with a healthy donor kidney.

Do certain people have a higher chance of kidney disease?

Yes, Black individuals:

• Have a higher chance of CKD compared to other races
• Have a 4 times higher chance of ESKD than white individuals

One reason is that a certain gene (piece of DNA) called APOL1 is more common in the Black population. Having this gene may raise a person’s chances of kidney disease that may lead to kidney failure. 

There are genetic tests that can tell if a person has the APOL1 gene. However, these tests may cost a lot of money. You can talk with your doctor about getting these genetic tests. In the future, there may be kidney treatments that can help people with the APOL1 gene.   

What are signs that my kidneys may not be working as they should?

Early in chronic kidney disease (CKD), you may not have any symptoms. And in many people, kidney disease progresses slowly. 

As your kidney function gets worse, your kidneys lose their ability to manage waste and fluid in your blood, and you may have:

• Puffiness or swelling of your face, hands, or feet
• The need to urinate more or less than usual
• High blood pressure that is new or harder to control
• Itchy skin
• Muscle cramps
• Restless legs
• Nausea or throwing up
• Feeling less hungry than usual
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling more tired than usual
• Trouble sleeping
• Dark or foamy urine

Doctors can often tell if you have kidney disease by testing for protein and other substances in your blood and urine. 

References

1. Chronic Kidney Disease Basics | Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative | CDC [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2023 Feb 27]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease/basics.html
2. Bloom RD, Cardella C, Conti D, Danovitch G, First MR, Germain M, et al. Getting A New Kidney: Facts About Kidney Transplants. 
3. Kidney Transplant [Internet]. National Kidney Foundation. 2017 [cited 2023 Apr 10]. Available from: https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidney-transplant